


Hard Feelings

by HarperJean



Category: Hanson (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Love Triangles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2020-04-07 21:55:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 31,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19093879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarperJean/pseuds/HarperJean
Summary: Zac and Andry met in high school and quickly fell into an intense friendship.  After graduating from art school, Andry is stuck in her home town, working at a restaurant, and clinging harder than ever to her best friend.  But then, things start to change.  Feelings bloom, hearts are broken, and lines are crossed.  And then there's the issue of Zac's older brother, Taylor...These are what they call hard feelings of love...





	1. Generation Loveless

Chapter One

Taylor

There was something about the early morning that Taylor had always loved. Unfortunately, he rarely ever saw it, seeing as he was at the restaurant until around 1 am every night. He was twenty three years old and rarely ever saw the morning light.

He stirred in his sleep, agitated by the sunbeams spilling across his face. He groaned, pulling a blanket over his eyes. He must have forgotten to close the blinds last night. He remembered pulling them open in the afternoon when the light was golden and lovely, casting his small bedroom in an otherworldly glow while he finished working on a song he was writing. He had lost track of time and had to rush to get to the restaurant, clocking in quickly and pulling his apron on over his head before heading back towards the pizza oven, where he would spend the next eight hours. He breathed in deeply, not quite ready to get up, but too awake to fall back asleep. The smell of coffee brewing tickled his nose. He could always get up for coffee. 

He stumbled into the kitchen and wasn’t too incredibly surprised to see Andry seated at the table, flipping through the paper and sipping her own mug of coffee. 

“You’re up early,” she said, without looking up or meeting his gaze. 

“Yeah, that pesky sunlight thing. Really puts a damper on my sleep schedule.” 

She chuckled, a hint of a smile dancing over her lips. “Do you work tonight?”

“Always.” 

He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table with her. He looked down at the dark liquid, hoping it would work it’s magic quickly and wake him up. 

Andry wasn’t an unusual sight to see in the morning. She often spent the night in Zac’s room, the two of them falling asleep laughing at each other’s jokes and sleeping back to back in his twin bed. They had been best friends since high school, when Zac started as a freshman and Andry was already a junior. They had been relegated to the same art classes, and, even though at first Zac found Andry obnoxious and loud (being loud was his job, after all), eventually they became fast friends. 

Her senior year, Andry took Zac to prom and so began the phase of everyone assuming they were an item. It wasn’t much of a stretch. They were always together, and when they were in a group, it was as though they were the only two around. They practically had their own language. And yet, they denied all the rumors and convinced everyone around them that they were practically brother and sister. “He’s like my little brother!” Andry would exclaim in disgust when someone suggested they were secretly dating. 

Now, Andry had graduated from art school and was waiting patiently for Zac to finish his degree. Taylor got her a job at his restaurant as a host, and she had a small studio apartment downtown...and yet she was usually at his apartment that he shared with both of his brothers. Taylor was still confused by the intense bond she shared with Zac. 

Well, maybe confused wasn’t exactly the right word. 

For years now he watched as they both dated other people, told each other about their crushes, helped each other play the field...and it always ended the same. With them, in Zac’s bedroom, talking until the early morning hours. He figured they would have to realize eventually...right? The thing that was keeping them from any meaningful relationship was the fact that they were in love with each other.

Right?

It was the only explanation. 

“Well, I’m opening so I’ll see you at shift change,” Andry said, pouring the dregs of her coffee out in the sink and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She was the lunch host during the week, and she and Taylor always saw each other around 4pm, right when he stepped into the kitchen, and she was making her way out. He would tell her about the new album he listened to that day, and she would write it down for later. 

“Sounds good,” he said with a sleepy smile. 

“Go back to bed!” 

“I’m up now, it would be pointless.” 

“Right,” she pulled a face at him that caused him to smile even wider. He wished she worked nights. Sometimes she did, when she needed to make some extra money at the end of the month. Those were his favorite shifts. She would sneak away from the host stand once an hour to come talk to him in the kitchen. It was a nice break from the eight hours of pizza making and the chef yelling for runners every five seconds. 

He stretched in his seat, trying to wake his body up. He looked at his phone, and saw that it was October 3rd. He had been working in that god-forsaken restaurant for five years, to the day.

***

“You’re up early,” Isaac commented when he came out to the kitchen, dressed in a nice shirt and tie. Taylor wondered when his brother would move out of the apartment they shared. After all, he had a great job at a bank. He had been dating Mia for almost three years. It seemed like it was time to leave his little brothers and go start his adult life. He was the kid that made their parents proud, while Taylor worked as a pizza cook and Zac finished up his degree in painting. Taylor laughed inwardly at the thought. The future seemed so limitless when they were younger, when they all played music together in their garage. They would imagine they were playing to sold out stadiums, until the crushing reality of life came falling down around them. When he was eighteen, Taylor scooped up a busboy job at Bella Cucina to help pay for college, which he never actually attended, and he had been there ever since. He often wondered if Ike stayed in this apartment because in some ways, living together made them feel like it was still possible. They could still pick up their instruments and jam at any moment of the day, which meant that maybe...just maybe...one of their weekend gigs would be their big break.

It was a stupid fantasy, and they all knew it. But they kept holding on. 

Just in case. 

“Yeah I know. You’re the second person to tell me that today.” 

“Who was the first?” 

“Andry.” 

“Ah.” 

“You’re here kind of late. Shouldn’t you be at work already?” 

“I didn’t have to go in this morning. I have a lunch meeting though, and then it’s back to the bank for me.” 

“Cool. Do you know if Zac’s up?” 

“I haven’t seen him yet.” 

Zac was in his senior year of art school, but made it a point to never take morning classes, furthering his habit of waking up as late as possible. Sometimes even later than Taylor, who had an excuse. He would wake up after noon, go to his classes, wait for Andry to get off work, and then spend the rest of the day with her until she went back to her apartment, or fell asleep in his bed. 

Taylor felt his phone buzz. He looked down and saw that it was a text from Andry. 

_"Hey did I leave my wallet there? It might be in the living room, I paid for pizza last night.”_

Taylor glanced around, somewhat annoyed that he had to heave himself off of his chair and go searching for Andry’s belongings. He poked his head into the living room and saw her polka dotted wallet on the small table by the door, where the brothers all kept their keys. 

_“Yep it’s here. Do you need it?”_

_“I was gonna get another coffee before going into work. And don’t tell me I just had coffee at your place I’m very aware that I did.”_

_“I can bring it to you.”_

_“Nah, just make Zac drop it off to me when he wakes up. Thanks, Tay <3” _

Taylor caught himself smiling at the heart she added at the end of the text. _Nope,_ he thought to himself, _don’t even go there._


	2. They'll Hang Us In The Louvre

Chapter Two 

Andry 

“My hero!!” Andry exclaimed when she saw Zac’s smile through the glass door. She had been draping her upper body over the host stand in boredom, knowing that the next two hours would be dead.

“Stop leaving your shit at my house!” Zac teased when he opened the door. 

“Never! I will never stop leaving my shit at your house!”

“I know, that was a stupid thing to say. Silly me.” 

“You’re gonna be late for class,” Andry observed, checking her watch. 

“I’ll be fine!” 

“Mmmhmm.” 

“Oh...got you this,” Zac revealed the cup of iced coffee he had been concealing behind his back, causing Andry to squeal in delight. 

“Just what I needed!”

“Just what you always need.” 

“True, but I especially need it now, when we’re so dead I want to claw my eyes out and fall asleep at the host stand,” she took a long drink of the cold, milky liquid. “Nectar of the gods,” she said dramatically, closing her eyes in ecstasy. 

“Mmmkay, little weirdo, I’ll see you when you’re off. Want to come to the studio and paint? I have a couple projects I need to get done.” 

“Sure! Can we get dinner, too?” 

“Of course. Text me when you’re out of here.” 

“I will. Thanks for the coffee.” 

“Yep.” 

Andry watched as her best friend walked away and mounted his bike, rushing off to get to class on time. He would probably be late, because that’s just what he did, but she knew that his stupid smile would save him every time he was in trouble. He got away with nearly everything.

***

_“What are you humming?” Andry asked. She and Zac were the only ones left in the art room. She was working on her senior portfolio and he was...well she wasn’t quite sure what he was up to over there._

 _“A song I wrote.”_

_“Oh yeah?”_

_“Yes,” he said, with a chuckle. His freshman year of high school had been interesting, to say the least, and he was glad it was almost over. He loved summer, when he could just hang out with his brothers and not have to worry about classes that weren’t art._

_“I didn’t know you write songs.”_

_“You barely know me, so that’s probably why…”_

_“What are you talking about, we’re best friends!!” Andry exclaimed._

_“You keep saying that...you realize...you realize we aren’t best friends, right?”_

_“We are…” Andry peeked from behind her canvas, catching Zac’s eyes. “You just don’t know it yet.”_

_“You’re so annoying.”_

_“I know.”_

_A few moments passed, and Zac started humming again, causing Andry to sigh dramatically._

_“What’s it called? The song?” She asked. She could tell he just wanted her to leave him alone, but she wasn’t going to give up that easily. He was so easy to tease! She couldn't help it._

_“It’s a song called Lucy…”_

***

“Hey buddy,” Andry said into her phone. That was the only way she and Zac greeted each other when one of them called.

“Hey, are you off work?” 

“Yep, walking out now. Say hi to your brother!” She shoved her phone into Taylor’s face, who swatted it away. She laughed and yelled goodbye to the rest of the kitchen staff. “Sorry, okay now I’m walking out.” 

“Cool, I’m gonna head straight to the studio, want to meet there?” 

“Yeah! I’ll be there in like...ten minutes.” 

“Don’t get more coffee.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do!” She hung up the phone giggling, and headed towards her car. 

“Andry!!” She heard a voice call out her name behind her, and she whipped around quickly to see who it was. Taylor came rushing towards her, his apron already on. He was holding out her wallet. 

“God, what is my problem today!?” She said, aggravated at herself. 

“As opposed to when?” 

“That’s fair.” It was true, Andry was a bit forgetful. Well, maybe that wasn’t the right word. She was always just...thinking about something else. Usually the paintings she was working on her her weekend plans with Zac. “Thanks, Tay.” 

“No problem. Just...stop setting it down everywhere.” 

“Easier said than done. Hey, when is your next gig?” She asked as she shoved her wallet deep into her backpack, mentally commanding it to stay put this time. 

“We have one the weekend after next, a few towns over. It’s about a two hour drive away. Are you coming?” 

“Yeah, I guess so!” 

“Great…” he said, awkwardly shifting from one foot to another. Their conversations were always pretty brief. After all, Zac was usually there vying for her attention. 

“Well...c’ya,” She said, a grin forming on her lips. “I’ll probably be at your place tonight anyway.” 

“Okay. Bye, Andry.” 

_“Sorry buddy, got delayed by your brother and my stupid wallet again!! NOW I’ll be there in ten minutes,”_ She texted as she walked to her car and shoved her key in the ignition. She turned the radio up loudly and rolled down her windows. It was October, but the afternoon sun had baked the inside of her car while it was in the parking lot. The wind rushed into her windows as she made her way to campus, where she continued to spend way too much time even though she had already graduated. Zac would always joke about her being an older woman, preying on younger men. She was used to it at by that point. She would never forget the look of horror that crossed her friend's faces when she first told them she was going to her senior prom with Zac Hanson. 

“But...he’s a sophomore!” They cried, appalled that Andry wouldn’t be joining their huge group of girls for countless pictures and dinner at a fancy restaurant. 

“Yeah, and? Who else would I go with?” 

“You like him!” Her friend Melanie shrieked, causing Andry to roll her eyes for the first of what would be many times. 

“I do, but as a friend. He’s my best bud, you guys know that. And I wouldn’t have fun at the dance unless I was with someone I know I can be goofy with.” 

She was right, prom _had_ been fun. They still talked about it all the time. Andry picked Zac up and they drove through Sonic for dinner, sitting on the hood of her car in their finest attire eating burgers in the parking lot. They stayed at the dance for a couple hours, and then went back to Zac’s house to swim in his pool. It was the first time Andry ever fell asleep in his bed. 

She couldn’t imagine doing big, life events without him. Prom had just been the beginning. After that, he sat with her family at her graduation and went out to dinner with them afterwards. He helped her move into her dorm room, and she helped him move into his. She accompanied him to his first college party, where they drank too much beer and kissed for the first time, deciding quickly that it was weird. They went to family weddings and reunions together. They were each other’s built in dates to nearly everything. 

They had to admit, it made life a whole lot simpler. In some ways. 

In other ways, it just made things messier. They both dated other people, especially Zac. Andry could easily divide their friendship up into eras in her mind, each era being one of Zac’s conquests. There was the Chloe era, and the Laura era, and the Jenna era. The pattern was always the same. He would go after a girl, smitten with her until she was his. Then she would bore him, he would complain about how they didn’t have anything in common, and break up with them. He would tell Andry how happy he was to be single again, and be able to dedicate his free time to her. 

And then the cycle would repeat. 

Also, Andry wasn’t an idiot. She knew that almost every memory Zac had, every story he could possibly tell on a date, had a glaring neon sign in the background flashing “MY BEST FRIEND IS A GIRL.” She knew all the girls hated it. She probably would, too. But for now, Zac wasn’t seeing anyone, and neither was she. Things were easier that way. 

“You have a gig soon!” Andry said as she burst into the campus studio that Zac was working in. She couldn’t even begin to count the nights they had stayed there working together. She missed those two years in college where they had overlapped. 

“I do! I thought I told you that.” 

“You didn’t. But Taylor just did. Can I come with?” 

“Of course, you’re always invited to our gigs.” 

“Cool. It’s been a few weeks.” 

“Yeah, Taylor’s going insane. He needs the gigs more than anyone.” 

“Well he’s stuck by the pizza oven every weekday night so yeah, I can imagine he enjoys getting onstage and playing. It’s definitely different than a Friday night dinner rush.” 

“True.” 

Andry pulled her golden curls into a bun on the top of her head and stripped off her work blouse, digging around her backpack for a spare paint shirt. She almost always had one with her, but for some reason she couldn’t find one in the depths of her bag. 

“Do you have a paint shirt?” She asked, still digging. 

“Why...why are you naked?” 

“Well I thought I had a paint shirt but I don’t! Also, calm down I have a bra on. Do you have another shirt in your bag?” 

“Why would I have another shirt?” 

“Oh my God, I don’t know I was just asking!” 

“Here take this one,” he took off his t-shirt and tossed it over to her. He had a white undershirt on, but he still looked slightly annoyed. 

“Thanks! I’ll give it back, I promise.” 

“You won’t” 

“I will!” 

“You never give me back my shirts. Yesterday you were literally just wearing my plaid shirt like it was yours!” 

“I….like that...shirt. I...you can always borrow my clothes.” 

“You’re exhausting.” 

“You love me! Sorry if I get paint on this.” 

“Whatever. Do you want my pants too?!” 

“No, keep your pants on please. I’m good.” She flashed her huge smile at him from behind her canvas, and he couldn’t help but smile back.


	3. Better On My Own

Chapter Three 

Taylor

Taylor looked up at the kitchen clock, grateful to see that it was just past 9pm. _Great_ , he thought, _the worst is over_. Thankfully, he had been making pizzas in this same oven for so long that he could let his mind wander as the tickets printed and he assembled each pie. He was even allowed to listen to music, something he didn’t take for granted. It made everything go by a little quicker.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and adjusted his backwards baseball cap. He remembered his first few shifts back by the oven, sweating through every inch of clothing he was wearing and fearing he would pass out from dehydration. Now, his body was used to it. He would shove his plastic cup through the window every time a host dawdled back into the kitchen, asking for a water refill, lots of ice please. 

He had worked at Bella Cucina as a busser for about six months when, on a busy Friday night, one of the pizza cooks didn’t show up for work. Dave was back there, but no one had seen Antonio, and on Fridays there needed to be two of them. It was too busy for one set of hands. Taylor walked up to Garrett, the head chef, and told him he could help out with pizzas if they needed him. He had a summer job at Papa John’s during high school one year, and felt like he could do it. 

“Go put on a hat and get back there, then!” 

He fell into the groove pretty quickly, even though it was completely different than the slow paced Papa John’s job, where he could smoke weed in the back with his co-workers and gorge himself on extra breadsticks. The next day, Garrett asked if he wanted to switch to back of house permanently. He would have regular hours, much better pay, and, the ultimate selling point, he would never have to talk to customers ever again. Taylor didn’t even think twice. 

“Taylor, did you hear that?” 

Taylor looked up from the dough he was stretching, thankful for a few quiet moments with no tickets printing. Callie, the night host, was standing in the window looking at him expectantly. He plucked one of his earbuds out of his ear. 

“Um...what?” 

“We have a twenty five top coming in.” 

“Are you fucking serious?” 

“...No I made it up. Yes, I’m serious. They just called and we have plenty of room tonight so I told them to just come on in.” 

“Callieeeee,” he whined. He had already mentally checked out and was ready to coast by for the rest of the shift. 

“Asses in the seats,” she said with a shrug. 

“Hate you.” 

“Don’t complain, Hanson!” Garrett yelled as he wiped down the expo line, preparing for the next round. Taylor rolled his eyes dramatically. It was going to be a long night.

***

Taylor trudged into the apartment, tired and covered in dried sweat, to find Andry and Zac on the couch playing video games and eating the remnants of their Chinese take out. He mentally steeled himself against their happiness. He was too grumpy to deal with them right now.

He walked right past them and went straight to the shower, eager to rinse off the grime of the kitchen. Every time he had a stupid shift like that, he tried to remind himself of his next gig. Only a week and a half and they would be playing. He could do that. It was when they didn’t have any gigs lined up that work was nearly impossible. He stepped into the shower and let the warm water calm his mind. He could hear Zac and Andry giggling stupidly like high schoolers, and he tried his best to ignore them. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. 

His life wasn’t bad. He had a steady job that paid surprisingly well. He still played music with his brothers. He had friends...kind of. Okay, that was a bit of a stretch. He sometimes went out with people from work, a couple servers he had gone to highschool with, but usually he was too tired after a long shift. He hung out with Andry a lot, but that was just because she was around. He wouldn’t mind hanging out with her one on one, but he knew that was never going to happen. Zac was protective. He had seen his brother go absolutely crazy the night Andry had brought another guy to a gig. If Taylor wasn’t in the band with him, it would have been spectacularly entertaining. But Taylor was in the band with him, and was also well versed in Zac’s temper. It was a gig downtown and Andry had brought Joey, a boy she had been dating for a couple weeks. They got drinks and stood near the stage, his arm around her waist. Taylor could feel Zac’s anger in every drum beat, and at one point in the set he had to step behind the drum set and tell Zac to settle down. 

When the gig ended, Andry broke away from her date and came up on the stage while they were breaking down, a knowing glance passing between her and Taylor. She knelt next to Zac, and Taylor watched as they spoke intensely, their faces only a few inches from each other. 

Two days later, Joey broke up with Andry, claiming that she clearly had feelings for someone else. She didn’t seem all that upset. 

They’d figure it out eventually. Maybe. Hopefully. 

Until then, Andry was basically a permanent fixture at the apartment, where she and Zac always ended their days acting too young for their age while Taylor shut himself in his bedroom to try and squeak out a song or two. Now, she was a part of the fabric of their lives, and he could remember the exact moment it happened. 

The night of his senior prom, she came to his front door. She was dressed in a summer green dress, her honey colored curls cascading down her back instead of in a fancy up-do like most of the girls would be wearing. It was the first time he ever really noticed her, apart from being vaguely aware of her existence and the fact that she was in the same grade as him. But that night she looked so beautiful. He immediately berated himself for thinking so, knowing this was Zac’s girl, knowing that they would eventually fall in love and tell their kids about the time they went to prom together. He was dressed in a tux, waiting for Sydney’s parents to drop her off so that they could take pictures. He had been dating Syd for nearly a year, and they were both excited to share prom night together. He was more than a bit annoyed that his little brother would be there too. 

The two couples went out by the pool and smiled pleasantly for his parents, who snapped picture after picture of them while Andry kept making Zac laugh in the middle of posing. Finally, Taylor sped away in his car, Sydney in the passenger seat, leaving Zac and Andry to their own devices. He saw them again at the dance, cutting a rug and giggling at each other. Later, he came home after dropping Sydney off, and heard their laughter echoing from the pool. He poked his head into the backyard and saw them splashing each other wildly, Andry in his sister Jessica’s old swimsuit, her hair plastered to her neck. He didn’t want to admit he was jealous, but his little brother just had a way better senior prom than Taylor did...and he wasn’t even a senior. 

The next morning, he saw Andry slip out of the house wearing one of Zac’s t-shirts. 

After that, there was no separating them. She didn’t move away for school, and Zac ended up following in her footsteps, enrolling in the same exact college as the same exact major. He followed her like a puppy around campus and once the three brothers got an apartment together, she was there almost every day. When she wasn’t, it meant Zac had voiced a need to get away from his brothers, and they were at her place, or in a studio on campus. 

Taylor tried not to be jealous of their friendship. After graduating, he and Sydney broke up amicably. Since that day, he hadn’t really dated. Not that he wasn’t asked. Plenty of girls at the restaurant would sidle up to the expo line and try to flirt with him. He knew it was a different world up there in front of house, and hooking up with your coworkers was not unusual for any of the servers or hosts, but he had a steadfast rule of not dating or sleeping with anyone he had to see every day in the hell hole of Bella Cucina. And so, he became a bit of a lone wolf. 

_It’s better this way_ , Taylor thought to himself, pulling on a dry t-shirt and boxers and sitting down in front of his keyboard. He should’ve been tired, and yet all he wanted to do was play. _It’s better this way._


	4. All the Magic We Gave Off

Chapter Four 

Andry 

“Good morning, sunshines!!”

Andry flung open the unlocked door to the Hanson brother’s apartment, a bag of bagels and a drink carrier of coffees in hand. It was the day of their out of town gig, and she knew that in the hustle of loading their gear, they would forget to eat breakfast. 

“Hey Andry,” Ike said, brushing past her on another trip down to his truck, his arms laden with gear. 

“Are you guys excited?!” She asked loudly, setting down the food and caffeine. 

“How are you so positive literally all the time?” Zac asked, looking like he would rather go back to bed than be up and carrying his drum kit down a flight of stairs. 

“Because today is amazing!” 

“Oh my God, you’re so annoying.” Zac grumbled. 

When Andry and Zac first met in high school, they did not get along. This was largely due to the fact that Andry was positive, almost to a fault. While the rest of her classmates were angsty and prematurely bitter, Andry was smiling and waxing poetic about how beautiful and unexpected life could be. To this day people just assumed she was being sarcastic when she said things like “I’m just happy to be here!” Zac, who was in his brooding stage when he reached high school, didn’t take well to the smiling girl in all of his art classes who loved to tell the world how happy she was and called everyone her best friend. He would roll his eyes at least three times during every class they shared, annoyed at her incessant chatter. 

But then, for whatever reason, something shifted. 

They were forced together for a project in their advanced painting class. Zac was a sophomore by this point, and neither of them were too happy with the pairing. But a couple weeks and many afternoons staying late in the art room, they fell into a rhythm. They worked surprisingly well together, and Zac realized that Andry’s intense positivity hid something a bit darker. Only a few conversations led him to realize that she had a deep well of insecurity within her, one that he could easily identify with. A few months later they went to prom together, and the rest, as they say, was history. 

“Here, drink some coffee, then you’ll get up to my level.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Zac mumbled. 

“Tay! I got you a large.” 

“Lifesaver!” Taylor grinned at Andry as she handed him the huge cup of coffee, knowing that they both considered themselves caffeine enthusiasts. 

“Okay, that’s everything,” Ike said triumphantly when he returned to the apartment. “Tay and I can drive in the truck and...Andry, are you gonna take your car?” 

“Yep, Zac can ride with me. Or he could...you know…” 

“Yes, I’ll drive.” 

“Ha!! Yes! Great.” Andry hated driving, and Zac knew it. He also loved to criticize her when she did drive, so really it was better for everyone. 

The gig was two hours away but the guys had to be there by early afternoon to check into the venue. It was an small music festival a few towns over. They weren’t headlining, so they were going on in the late afternoon to play a thirty minute set. Not the most glamorous show in the world but, a gig was a gig. 

“So what’s new?” Andry said a half hour into the drive, making Zac chuckle. That was one of their favorite running jokes, asking the other how they were when they already spent all their free time together anyway. 

“Well, I have a gig today.” 

“I heard!” 

“Yeah, gonna be great.” 

“How’s Jenna?” 

“Wow, okay non-sequitur.” 

“Sorry. Just wondering. I haven’t heard you talk about her in awhile.” 

“Well...it’s ‘cause we broke up, weirdo. Not everyone stays friends with everyone they’ve ever met in their life.” 

“Yeah, I know, I know. I liked her though. She was like...the one girl you’ve dated that I got along with. She liked me!” 

“I don’t know she was...weird. And complicated.” 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” 

“You know what I mean. It was complicated hanging out with her. I never really knew where I stood. Like, we know where we stand to each other, and maybe I’m just used to that.” 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

A few seconds passed before Zac started laughing. 

“What?!” Andry asked, surprised by his sudden outburst. 

“I was just thinking.” 

“About?” 

“Well, if we started dating…” his laugh was infectious, causing Andry to join in even though she wasn’t really sure what the punchline was yet, “okay, well...three things would happen.” 

“I’m listening.” 

“One, no one would be surprised. Like, no one would be mad about it.”

“Well...no, everyone thinks we’re dating anyway.” 

“Right. Okay, we would probably get married and honestly, it would probably last.” 

Andry continued to giggle at the absurdity and grandeur of his statements. This was the first time any of this had ever been discussed, and yet...he wasn’t wrong. 

“And number three?” 

“We would have a kid, at least one. We’d probably name her Lucy.” 

Andry stopped laughing. He had thought about this. 

“We would?” 

“Yeah, don’t you think?” He looked over at her, his brown eyes twinkling.

***

Andry loved going to gigs with the Hanson brothers. Even when it was a shitty, mid-afternoon gig in the sun like this one, she always felt special helping them load their gear in and catching smiles from Zac as he drummed expertly behind Taylor and Isaac.

She squinted at the stage, raising a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun as the guys did their sound check. She screamed and clapped wildly when they were done checking levels, making Taylor giggle and Zac roll his eyes and try to hide a smile. When they came back down from the stage, she was ready to be given her next task as their makeshift roadie. 

“Do you guys need anything? Water? Food? More coffee?” 

“No, I think we’re good, Andry,” Isaac responded with a chuckle, amused by her eagerness. 

“Suit yourself. But if you change your mind and need anything, I’m your girl.” 

“You really don’t have to be this supportive, bud,” Zac said, his face finally breaking out in the huge grin he was trying to suppress. Andry knew he loved the attention she gave him, so she kept on giving it. She liked making him happy. It made her happy. 

“Well, I’m going to be...I’m your biggest fan! So deal with it!” 

“Okay, okay, it’s dealt with.” 

“Thanks. I, on the other hand, could use another coffee. So I’m gonna try to find some...surely there’s like a cart or something, right?” 

“I’ll come with you,” Zac said, as though all four of them didn’t already know that he would be coming with her no matter where she decided to go.


	5. Another Recovering Heart

Chapter Five

Taylor

The gig was fine.

Taylor longed for the day when they would be headlining; going city to city, even if it was just in a big van with all their gear stuffed in the back, playing for venues (probably small ones) that people came to only to see them. The snorted at his own fantasy, knowing that it would probably never come to fruition. Earlier that day, when he looked out over the meager crowd that had gathered by the stage, he could feel his heart growing heavier and more tired. He wanted to be _excited_ about playing, not disheartened. But, he gave it his all anyway, knowing that it might lead to another gig - and playing was about a thousand times better than working at the restaurant. 

“That was amazing!!” Andry squealed when they got offstage. 

“Thanks, buddy!” Zac replied, beaming. Taylor shook his head in disbelief. How anyone could have called that amazing was beyond him. It was _fine_. Just fine. They played their songs and the smattering of festival goers put down their beers and clapped when they were supposed to. 

“What’s wrong?” Andry inquired when she saw Taylor roll his eyes at her enthusiasm. 

“What? Oh, nothing. Okay, let’s load out and get out of here.” 

“Don’t you want to stay and watch the other bands?” Andry asked. She had procured a beer and was still nursing it. “Let me buy you guys drinks!” 

“I’d rather just go,” Taylor responded, stubbornly. 

“What crawled up your butt and died, dude?” Zac asked, making Andry’s face crinkle in amusement. Taylor had to admit, she looked adorable. 

“Nothing, I would just rather get back home earlier than later.” 

“But what would you even do there? Sit in your room and sulk?” 

“Hey, come on,” Isaac attempted to intervene, but Taylor was already walking back up to the stage in a huff, gathering their equipment and separating it into piles for an easy load out. 

He hated when Zac called him out for being sullen and emotional. It’s not like he could help it. He just felt a lot of things. It’s why he wrote good songs and why he hated being cooped up in the kitchen. It’s why he longed for the days of long bus rides to new cities where he could sing every night to people who actually wanted to hear him. 

“Hey.” 

He looked up from where he was squatting, gathering up cables. He shielded his face from the sun and saw a halo of golden curls circling a concerned face. 

“Hey,” he responded, going back to his work. 

“Sorry about Zac. You know he’s an asshole.” 

“He’s your best friend, Andry. I would hate for him to hear you talk like that.” 

“Oh he knows I think he’s an asshole, don’t worry. Do you want help?” 

“You don’t have to help me.” 

“But I’m offering, dummy.” 

Taylor chuckled despite himself and nodded graciously. She hopped down beside him and started winding the cables neatly around her arm. 

“I think you all did great. I know you don’t think so.” 

“It was fine.” 

“Come on, Tay, it was more than fine.” 

“There was like, nobody out there.” 

“So? It was still good. And I was out there, I’m not nobody.” 

Taylor looked at the girl next to him. Her face was painted in golden light from the late afternoon sun, concentrating on keeping everything neat and tidy. He wondered if she would ever realize how she felt about Zac. He stopped himself from bringing it up. It wasn’t the right moment. 

“You’re right,” he conceded, helping her up to her feet and handing her gear to carry to the truck. “I’m sorry. You are definitely not nobody.” 

“Thank you!” She said with a triumphant nod. “Now let me buy you a beer, and we can stay and watch a few bands. C’mon, it’ll be fun!” 

“Fine.”

***

_“We’ve never had anyone watch band practice before, Zac.”_

_“I know, but what’s the harm? She’ll love it, cause she loves everything, and then we’ll feel great about ourselves...everyone wins!”_

_Taylor rolled his eyes at his younger brother, who was trying to convince him to let his friend Andry come and watch band practice. Throughout their lives, the boys had had many crushes and girlfriends, but band practice was always a sacred hour or two where no one from the outside world was allowed in. It was just the three of them and the music._

_And yet, here Zac was, using his best persuasive skills to get his older brothers to agree._

_Taylor knew they were inseparable. Ever since prom, it was like they were in on a secret that no one else was allowed to know._

_Rumors started zooming around school that Andry Walden, a senior, was dating Zac Hanson, a sophomore - the same sophomore that she had taken to prom. She only had two weeks left of high school, and yet, she decided to snatch up a younger man. Everyone figured they would have a whirlwind summer romance and then fizzle out when Andry went to college._

_“You must really like this girl, huh?” Isaac said plainly, causing Zac to immediately jump into his defensive mode._

_“We’re not...she’s not my...I don’t like her,” he said, fumbling over his words._

_“You realize how unconvincing you sound right now, right?” Isaac teased, glancing over at Taylor knowingly._

_“Come on, guys. She’s my best friend.”_

_It was the first of many times that Taylor would hear Zac utter those words. It always came back to that. They were not hooking up or in a relationship - they were best friends, and best friends only._

_Soon, Taylor would come to learn that it was, in fact, never sexual. They hadn’t done anything on prom night, other than laugh too loud and fall asleep. They hadn’t even kissed, and wouldn’t until much later. They just really were in the throes of some strange, symbiotic, although extremely unlikely friendship._

_Well, maybe symbiotic wasn’t the word Taylor was looking for._

_Codependent. That was more like it._

_For months, Taylor and Isaac both refused to let anyone come to band practice. Then, one night, Isaac folded, leaving Taylor to look like that unsupportive brother._

_“Are you kidding me, Ike?” Taylor asked, feeling somewhat betrayed._

_“No, I’m not. Come on, I don’t think it would be that big of a deal. She’s come to all of our gigs we’ve had since they started dating.”_

_“Not dating,” Zac called from the couch, where he was drinking a mountain dew and playing video games._

_“Right, sorry.”_

_“Well...I still…”_

_“TWO TO ONE!!” Zac yelled, making Taylor close his eyes and take a deep breath, so as not to completely snap at his insufferable little brother._

_“FINE. Fine. Okay. Andry can sit in on band practice. I don’t really understand why this is even an issue that we’re discussing but whatever. She can come.”_

_“I think it means a lot to him,” Isaac said, lowering his voice so that only Taylor could hear him. Zac was back within the world of the game, turning the volume up on the TV to cut out distractions now that the discussion had gone his way. “This girl obviously...he’s clearly like, in love with her. So, let’s let him have this one.”_

_“You think he is?”_

_“Have you seen them together?”_

_“Yeah, they’re super annoying.”_

_“Right. But...you know what I mean.”_

_“I guess.”_

_After that, Taylor got used to seeing Andry in front of him when they played. She didn’t come to every practice, but she did come to every gig, and was always there to get them water, or hype up the crowd, or scream her head off at the end of songs. She was their biggest fan._

_He had to admit, he was grateful. Sometimes it felt like she was the only one he was singing to._


	6. I'll Be Your Sweetheart

Chapter Six 

Andry 

It had been a couple days since Zac’s gig. Andry couldn’t help but turn over the words he had said in the car on the way to the show - about being together, getting married, having _children_. It all seemed so unlikely but so...unsurprising, she supposed. It’s true, they had been friends for a while. They had known each other through some of the most trying years of their lives. He felt like her lifemate, in a lot of ways, already.

But, every time the thoughts came creeping back into her head, she would shake her head violently to rid herself of them. Instead of getting caught up in the possibilities and what if’s, she would paint. 

“Want to go to the studio tonight and paint?” She said into her phone, already out of breath from rushing out of the restaurant and immediately hopping on the phone with Zac. 

“Again? Didn’t you graduate, already?” 

“Hey! I don’t have anywhere else to do it. Plus, free paint, ya know?” 

“Yeah, I know. Okay yeah, I’ll meet you there at uuuuh...ten?” 

“Zac, that’s so late. I mean, yeah, that’s fine but why are we meeting so late?! It’s not finals week!” 

“I have a date.” 

Andry slowed down her brisk walk to her car from the restaurant. She had to park in the free lot which was four blocks away, a walk that she hated after getting off of her shift and saying hi and bye to Taylor in the kitchen. She was about halfway there when she felt her stomach flip wildly at Zac’s words. 

She regained what little composure she had and shook her head, not that it actually helped clear it, but the action fooled her into believing she was jostling the pesky thoughts right out of her brain. 

“Oh a _date_.” 

“Shut up.” 

“You don’t have to meet up with me after a date, bud. You should like...be free all night for that. Just give me your swipe card and I’ll go by myself.” 

“You sure?” 

“Of course I’m sure! I don’t want you to try and end your date quickly so that you can come paint with another girl.” 

“It’s only the first date, what’s gonna happen?!” 

“You never know. Should I swing by your place and get your card? Are you home?” 

“Yeah I am.” 

“Cool. See you soon, buddy.” 

“Yep.” 

Andry hung up and shoved her phone in her bag, actively attempting to not let any thoughts, good or bad, form in her head. She just wanted to walk to her car, get inside, and go to Zac’s. Well...she didn’t really want to see him at this specific moment. 

Before she knew it, she was pulling into her own parking space at her apartment building, not realizing that her mind had kicked into auto-pilot on the drive. 

“Shit,” she muttered to herself. She rolled her eyes at her own actions, got out of the car, and flung herself into her studio apartment, swinging open the fridge door dramatically and finding the first thing she could to eat. She was always starving after work. 

Her phone lit up with a text. 

_Where are you buddy?_

She picked it up and quickly responded, telling him that she was too hungry to go anywhere but home, and they could paint together another day. She knew she still had plenty of time to go get his swipe card, but now that she was home and her shoes were off, she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to leave again. She berated herself for being cranky about the whole situation. Zac had dated other girls. It was fine. It would be fine. 

_Suit yourself._

She took out a sketchpad and sat on her bed, drawing furiously. She barely looked up from the paper until she realized that sun was down and the sky was black.

***

“So how did it go?” Andry asked Zac the next day. They were at his apartment, sitting on the couch and watching TV. They had plans to go to the studio later, but Andry could tell Zac’s resolve was fading, and they would probably end up just sitting on this couch until it was too late, and Andry would spend the night.

“How did what go?” 

“Your date, dummy!” 

“Oh my date. Um, it was good!” 

“What’s her name?” 

“Amelia.” 

“Oooooooh.” 

“What?!” 

“I don’t know, just being an idiot. Well that’s cool. What did you all do?” 

“We got coffee and then walked around the park. Talked a lot.” 

“Were you done by ten?” 

“Uh...no, we weren’t done by ten.” 

Andry didn’t want to know any other details other than the fact that she had been right. That was the most important thing, as far as she was concerned. 

What she did know, however, was that she didn’t care for this one bit. 

“Well cool, I’m glad you had a good time.” 

“Yeah it was great.” 

Their attention wandered back to the TV. It was getting dark, and Andry wanted to know everything there was to know about this girl. She needed to approve of the girl that was going to be spending time with her best friend. 

“What’s her last name?” 

“Andry…”

“What!” 

“You can’t stalk her on social media.” 

“Who says I’m going to do that?” 

“Why else would you need to know her last name, weirdo?” 

“For reasons!” 

“And the reasons are so that you can stalk her on social media.” 

“UGH, come ON, let me have my fun.” 

“Nope.” 

“Why!?” 

“Because you’ll friend her and be a weirdo. I know you. You want to be best friends with everyone, and it’s annoying.” 

“Ouch.” 

“Am I wrong?” 

“I won’t...I won’t friend her, I just want to know what she looks like.” 

“Nope. Not yet.” 

Andry pouted, but Zac didn’t turn his gaze from the TV. She sighed loudly, hoping to make him look at her and laugh, but he didn’t respond. She sighed louder. 

“I hear you.” 

“And?” 

“I’m not telling you.” 

Andry stuck her toe into his stomach, causing him to yelp in surprise. He dove towards her, attacking her midsection and making her squeal with laughter. 

“NOOOO, no, no, no!” she screeched. She hated being tickled, and the laughter was merely reflexive. 

“What the hell is going on out here?” Isaac asked, emerging from his room. 

“Nothing,” Andry replied, gasping for air, “Zac is just being mean to me!” 

“Zac, don’t be mean to Andry.” 

“But it’s so easy!” 

“You’re the worst!” Andry said breathlessly, falling back against the armrest of the couch. 

“Yeah, I know. Come on, let’s go get dinner, I’m starving,” Zac said, quickly standing up and getting his keys from the hook by the door. That was something Andry loved about Zac. When his mind changed, it really changed, and he would drop everything he was doing to move on to the next thing. She found it hilarious, even if it had taken some getting used to when they first became friends. 

“You buyin’?” 

“Sure.”


	7. Some Things are Never Said

Chapter Seven

Taylor

“To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here for the dinner shift?” Taylor asked when he saw Andry sauntering back into the kitchen. He had noticed that she wasn’t scurrying out of the restaurant during the shift change, and just figured that she had left out the front door or they had missed each other.

“It’s a double day,” she replied with a shrug.

“Don’t sound so excited.” 

Andry yelped with laughter and perched her elbows up on the pass through, cradling her chin in her hands and smiling widely. “Brooke asked me to cover her shift and I mean, I was already here. Why not?” 

“I can’t believe you willingly pick up shifts.” 

“Yeah, it’s not ideal. But hey, extra money. And let’s be real, I could host in my sleep at this point.” 

Taylor did always wonder what Andry was still doing here at this survival job. She was a talented artist, and could surely get work elsewhere in something a little closer to her field of study. There was a part of him that suspected she was waiting to quit her job and run away until Zac had graduated and was ready to accompany her. He couldn’t imagine either of them moving without the other. 

“Yeah, I feel that way about making pies,” Taylor agreed, grabbing a ticket from the printer and reaching for a ball of dough. If he thought about it, he could probably calculate how many pizzas he had made in the past few years, but he had a feeling that the statistic would only depress him. 

“Do you guys have any gigs coming up?”

“No, not really. I keep trying to find stuff to book but...it’s hard since Zac is still in school and Isaac is like, a real adult...and I work nights.”

“Switch to lunch shifts! Work with me!” 

“Ugh.” 

“Taylor! You’re mean.” 

“I’m not mean you’re just always at my house anyway.” 

Taylor watched as Andry’s face crinkled with laughter. He admired how much she took the teasing in stride, seeing as it was the basis for her and Zac’s entire relationship. 

“I don’t know if that will be the case soon. Zac has gone on like three dates with this new girl,” she said, clearly trying to seem as unbothered as possible. 

“Oh, please.”

“What?” 

Taylor heard the ticket printer whir to life and saw an endless stream of pizza tickets gather on his work station. His eyes widened. 

“Is there a party I didn’t know about?” 

“Oh...yeah there’s a twenty top and they all want pizza, it seems.” 

“Damnit, Andry, ya gotta warm me about this kind of stuff!” 

“Sorry! I didn’t realize...I gotta get back up front.” 

“Ugh, okay well...just check on me before you leave to make sure I haven’t died back here.” 

“Will do, Tay.” 

Taylor ripped the tickets from the printer and put them up in front of him so he could get to work. He put an earbud back into his ear and took a deep breath. Even though he complained, he actually preferred when there was a lot of pizzas to make and he could listen to music and get in the groove. It was when it was slow and he was just standing around that he truly could feel his soul leaving his body. 

Thanks to the party, the rest of his shift went by pretty quickly. He hung up his flour dusted apron at the end of the night and said goodnight to the kitchen guys, nearly jumping out of his skin when he exited out the back and found Andry there, waiting. 

“JESUS, warn a guy.” 

“Sorry,” she said with a soft giggle. “Wanna walk to the parking lot together?” 

“Sure. I...were you just waiting there for me?” 

“Yeah, kind of. I got cut and I figured you were about to be done so I just hung out here. It’s nice out!” 

“Okay, yeah, let’s go.” 

They walked side by side in silence for a block. 

“Is Zac home, you think?” 

“Um...I have no idea.” 

“Oh, okay. He’s not responding to my texts tonight, so I was just wondering.”

***

The more time Zac spent with the new girl, the more time Andry and Taylor seemed to be thrown together. Only a week after the dinner shift they worked together, Taylor came home one night to find Andry on the couch, eating popcorn and watching TV...alone.

“Whatchya doin’?” He asked, looking around for his little brother. 

“Oh, just watching Friends. Nothing else was on.” 

“Andry, it’s like 11o’clock.” 

“And? It’s Friday, I don’t have to work in the morning.” 

“Are you like...here by yourself?” 

She looked at him as though she had been caught in some heinous act. He had never, in all the years she and Zac had been friends, seen her at the apartment when Zac wasn’t there as well. 

“Yeah,” she said quietly, trying her best to feign confidence and failing splendidly. 

Usually, Taylor would just go into his room, but he felt strangely sorry for the girl on his couch. 

“Where’s Zac?” he asked. 

“I’m not actually sure? I thought we were supposed to hang out tonight so I came over...Ike let me in a couple hours ago. But, he’s not here. I guess he’s with Amelia, which is totally fine, I just wish he would have told me.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

“Yeah. I mean, that would make sense. It’s Friday. But, I just thought I would wait for him here until he got home...I should probably go, though.” 

She shifted in her seat, but Taylor put a hand on her shoulder. “Nah, you can stay.” He gave her a knowing look and she smiled back at him. 

“Wanna watch with me?” 

“Sure.” He sat down beside her and reached over for a handful of popcorn. He made a note to kill his brother later, and then wondered why he was being so protective of the girl he couldn’t even lay claim to.


	8. Falling In Slow Motion

Chapter Eight

Andry 

It was the end of November, Zac and Amelia were still together, and everything in Andry’s life was fine.

She spent less time with her best friend, but that was fine. She understood. It’s not like she could hang around while he was with Amelia (who she had finally found on social media even though she had yet to meet her in real life). They seemed to be getting a bit more serious, and he even started referring to her as his girlfriend, something that sounded strange and foreign coming out of Zac’s mouth. He had only ever dated girls casually, never been in relationships. This was brand new territory. 

She threw herself into a job hunt, and that was fine too. She figured it was time to leave Bella Cucina, and move on to something more in her field. If she had it her way, she would pack up and move to New York to really break into the art scene, but...that plan had always been with Zac. They were going to be roommates in a tiny apartment in the city. They had talked about it endlessly on sleepless nights in the studio. 

So, she looked for jobs. She applied to be a docent at a museum, a cashier at Michael’s, and a teacher at an arts camp for kids. Anything that vaguely had to do with the fact that she had a degree in painting. She still couldn’t believe her parents let her go to school for _painting_. But, all parents think their kids are the exception to the rule. _Let her do what she’s good at_ , she could hear her father say in the back of her mind. 

“Thanks for being so supportive, Dad,” she mumbled to herself. She was all alone in her studio apartment, just like every night lately. “I really gotta find some new friends…” 

She had friends from college and from the restaurant she supposed, but her intense, exclusive bond with Zac had alienated a lot of people in her life. She totally understood. She would steer clear of something like that too, if she was out side of it. She flung herself backwards onto her pillows and mindlessly scrolled through her phone. It buzzed. 

_“Heads up, Bella Cucina is gonna call you in a sec.”_

It was from Taylor. 

_“Jesus Christ, Why?!”_

_“Host emergency. Callie just went home sick and it’s almost rush. Come in and work!! I’m bored.”_

When the restaurant did call, Andry made a show of being annoyed but wanting to do what was best for the business, and agreed to come in as soon as she could throw a skirt and blouse on. Really, she was happy for the distraction. She raced to the parking lot and power walked to the back door, flinging it open and announcing that she was there to save the day. 

“There she is!” Taylor called from behind the expo line, grinning widely. 

“Never fear, Andry is here!” She said with a wink, and trotted up to the front. 

The night was nice and busy, which she preferred during dinner shifts. She had worked there for so long that she rarely got flustered, even on Friday nights during season. It was busy enough to keep her mind focused on the floorplan and the server rotation, but not so bad that she couldn’t chat with the other hosts and make her way back to the pizza window every once in a while. 

“What are you doing after this?” Andry asked Taylor at 10:30pm, once the night was winding down. The kitchen stopped serving at 11, and she was sure she would be cut any minute. 

Taylor looked at her suspiciously. She knew he was going to say that he was doing nothing, but she was revved up by the successful shift and being the hero of the restaurant, and wanted to go out on the town for once in her life. 

“Why…”

“We could go to the Hideaway! It’s Friday, they’re open forever.” 

The Hideaway was a bar a few blocks over that had live music every night. Andry used to go there all the time in college, when she wasn’t conscious about spending money or exhausted from working at a restaurant full time. She loved it there. It was always hazy and drenched in ruby red light. Bands of every style played there, and the dance floor was always utilized. 

She knew it was a long shot and Taylor would probably say no, meaning she could either go by herself and be hit on by whatever kind of dude happened to sidle up to her, or she could just go home and go to bed. But she was feeling reckless. She wanted to do something fun for a change. 

“Yeah, why not. I should be done right at 11 if you want to wait for me.” 

Andry was shocked by his answer. She couldn’t remember the last time she was aware of Taylor actually going out. 

“Awesome! Great! I will...go see if I need to roll any silverware or anything.” Andry knew she sounded downright giddy, but she didn’t even care. She was just excited to have plans. The last few weeks had been socially dull, to say the least. 

“Calm down!”

“I never will! Find me when you’re cut!” She skipped out of the kitchen and into the back dining room, where she found the manager and pouted until he cut her for the night, releasing her from the front to work on rolling silverware. At 11 on the nose, she saw Taylor walk awkwardly back towards her, trying to not make eye contact with any guests. 

“I’m gonna change, then wanna get out of here?” 

“Yeah! I’ll just let the girls know I’m leaving.” Andry scurried to the host stand and clocked out. When she stepped out the back door, Taylor was already changed and waiting for her in the alley. “You look...nice!” She said, immediately regretting how shocked she sounded. 

Taylor chuckled. “Thank you?” 

“Why do you look so nice?” He was wearing a black and white gingham button up and nice jeans. She was used to him wearing either his kitchen blacks, covered in flour, or a ratty band t-shirt. 

“I had an interview before work.” 

“JORDAN TAYLOR, look at you!!!” 

“Andry you _have_ to calm down. Can we drop my shit off in my car?” 

“Yeah sure, tell me more, please!” 

“It’s at a music store. It’s really not exciting.” 

“That _is_ exciting, Tay! How did it go? Do you think you got it?” 

“I have no idea. I was so nervous. I’ve been at Bella for five years, I don’t know how to do anything else.” 

“You know music. I’m sure you were great. Is it sales? Will you be on the floor?” 

“I don’t have the job, Andry!” 

“Okay but if you get it, what would you be doing.” 

“Yeah, sales and helping out customers, and hopefully some piano lessons. Basically they said the first few weeks would be me trying to convince people looking at stuff to try out a lesson and we all know I can’t talk to people so that’ll be a disaster but...I want to try, you know?” 

“Tay, that is so awesome. I’m so proud of you.” 

“I just...I just don’t want to be at Bella for ten years. Antonio has been there for _ten years_.” 

“I shudder at the thought.” 

“Yeah, same.” 

Andry smiled to herself. She wouldn’t bore him with details about her own job search. Tonight was his. They would celebrate. He deserved that, she figured. 

Even a block away from the bar, she could hear music bleeding out onto the street every time the door swung open into the cool night air. She grabbed Taylor’s hand and dragged him the rest of the way. She could see her breath in the air. There were already twinkly lights in the trees lining the road. 

“What do you want to drink?” Andry asked, immediately going up to the bar and discarding her jacket on a stool. She flashed Taylor a smile and he mirrored her. She couldn’t remember a time they had ever hung out, just the two of them, without Zac or at least the idea of him looming closely.

***

“Why don’t you all ever play here?!” Andry asked, a little buzzed and a million times happier than she had been earlier that evening. She was so glad she had decided to swap out her sweat pants for work clothes and go into the restaurant. It had truly turned her whole night around, and now she was having a nice time with Taylor...her unlikely companion.

“I guess we’ve never thought about it. I feel like the bands that play here are pretty well established and play every week, right?” 

“Yeah but things happen all the time! They could need a sub or something. And even if your brothers weren’t available you could do it by yourself.” 

“Blasphemy!” 

“I bet you could.”

“I’ve never played a gig by myself. Never once. I don’t even know how to stand onstage without them.” 

“That’s sweet but also very dramatic.” 

Taylor chuckled and finished off his beer. 

“That’s me, kid.” 

“You’re the same age as me! You don’t get to call me kid! We graduated together, sir.” 

“Oh wow, I didn’t even know you realized I was there! You were a little preoccupied with a sophomore at the time.” 

“Oh God, we’re doing this, okay.” She took a deep breath and took a big swig of her rum and coke. “Lay it on me. Try to get to the center of it all like everyone else. Really dig deep in there.” 

“Nah, I get it, I don’t need to investigate.” 

“Oh, you do?” 

“Yeah. Also I don’t want to talk about my brother right now and, if I were to venture a guess, you don’t want to talk about him either.” Taylor shot her a knowing look over his fresh beer, which made Andry feel incredibly exposed. 

“Okay…” she replied slowly. Cautiously. What was he saying? 

“So what’s next for you?” He asked, changing the subject.

“What do you mean?” 

“I doubt you’re going to stay here and work at Bella forever, right? You have to get out of there. You’re too talented.” 

Andry felt her cheeks flush. Not many people noticed her painting, except for Zac, who saw her work almost every day. 

“Um well...some things were discussed. At one time...but...I’m not allowed…” 

Taylor sighed, “You can talk about him.” 

“Zac and I want to move to New York together.” 

“New York is expensive.” 

“What?! That is...brand new information, Taylor, thank you!” 

He laughed again, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Do you think you’ll go?” 

“I used to think that definitely yes, as soon as he graduates we’ll be out of here. Now...I’m not so sure.”


	9. It's Just a Temporary Feeling

Chapter Nine 

Taylor 

Taylor always enjoyed Thanksgiving, simply because the restaurant was closed. Sure, he got to go to his childhood home and spend time with his family, but really he was mostly thankful that his mother was the one taking things in and out of the oven. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Super Bowl Sunday were the three days of the year that Bella Cucina shut down, and Taylor relished in the time off. That morning, Andry had arrived at his apartment with coffees and a too-bright smile. She had been attending the Hanson Thanksgiving festivities since her freshman year of college, when her parents decided to go on a cruise instead of make a turkey, now that their precious baby was out of the house. Their vacation had become a yearly tradition, and so had her participation in his family’s celebrations.

When they got to his Mom and Dad’s house, the entryway smelled like pumpkin baked goods and savory stuffing. The three brothers and Andry seemed to be the last to arrive, and they piled their coats on the banister, hugged the rest of the family, and made their way to the living room, where the parade was already on the big screen TV. 

“You could have brought someone this year, Tay!” Diana chirped, handing them each a scone. 

Taylor rolled his eyes and let his head fall back. “Who would I have brought, Mom?” 

“Oh I don’t know. Zac always brings Andry…Isaac always brings Mia. I just thought...” she trailed off and moseyed back to the kitchen. He didn’t understand why she was pestering him. Honestly, Taylor was confused as to why his mother wasn’t bothering Zac for not bringing his _actual_ girlfriend to the family function. Instead, Andry was tagging along as usual. He wondered if there was trouble in paradise. Or maybe Amelia had just finally figured out that there was no getting in between those two. They had the acute ability to make everyone around them feel distinctly unwanted or unimportant. He was reminded of this almost immediately when he looked over and saw them giggling together on the couch, mumbling remarks and inside jokes to each other as everyone watched the parade. He sighed and shuffled off to the kitchen to help his mother. 

“Need anything, Mom?” 

“Oh sweetie, you don’t have to help me. Go relax with your brothers and sisters.” 

“The parade bores me,” he stated flatly. It hadn’t even been an hour and he was already restless. 

“Well, alright. You can help me with the cranberry sauce if you’d like,” she suggested, handing him a pot and a bag of cranberries. He dumped half the bag in and added water and sugar, turning on the stove and leaving the berries there to simmer. 

“Now what?” 

“You could talk to your mother for once.” 

“Mom, I talk to you all the time!” 

“You certainly do not. Tell me how everything is. The restaurant. How are your brothers, are they doing alright? I can’t believe you all still live in that apartment together.” 

“I think it’s more out of convenience at this point.” 

“Well, I’m glad you have each other.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Isaac moved out soon. I know he has a ring…”

“Mom!” Taylor knew that Diana was notorious for gossip. “How do you know that?” 

“He talked to me about it! And your father. He’s waiting for the right moment.” 

“Wow...I...I had no idea.” 

Taylor didn’t like change, necessarily. But he knew the three of them couldn’t live together forever. That would just be weird. 

“I wonder if it will be tonight. Wouldn’t that be lovely? I mean...the family is all here. I can’t think of a better time.” 

“I certainly can.” 

“Taylor!” 

“What! Don’t you think it’s kind of weird to make a day that’s dedicated to stuffing yourself with unhealthy food the day you ask someone to be your wife? I mean, at least wait til Christmas.” 

“You are no fun.” 

“Oh I’m aware.” 

“Lighten up, Tay,” Diana prodded him with a wooden spoon, and he smiled just to get her off of his case.

***

“I’m just saying,” Isaac proclaimed loudly, taking a swig of beer to emphasize his point, “Zac claims to be this master at games and yet, when the whole family is together playing said games, he crumples under the pressure!”

“I’m the master at _video_ games, Ike...I’ve never said anything about board games.” 

Taylor and Andry shared a look over their drinks, knowing full well that Zac had bragged about his ability to win any game, video or not, multiple times in the apartment. Andry giggled into her wine glass, and Taylor couldn’t help but notice the warmth that bubbled in the pit of his stomach as he watched the skin around her eyes crinkle. 

“It’s fine, Zac, just accept the defeat!” Jessica added from the other end of the table, causing Zac to groan dramatically and the rest of the family to laugh. 

Dinner was over and the dishes cleared away to make room for the stack of board games that only seemed to come out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the family was too stuffed to move but wanted to do something other than watch football and lay around. Taylor couldn’t imagine what these few post-dinner hours would be like without alcohol, but he supposed if he got through it growing up, so could his younger siblings. Soon the pumpkin pie would be rolled out and everyone would claim they were “way too full for pie” but somehow find room anyway. Taylor drained his bottle and stood up to procure another one. When he got to the kitchen, he noticed that Andry had followed him, her wine glass also conveniently empty. 

“Need more?” he asked, reaching into the fridge for beer and the open bottle of Chardonnay. 

“Yes please!” Her eyes sparkled. She was clearly a bit tipsy. “You never told me if you got that job, by the way.” 

“What job?” 

“The music store! Remember?” 

“Oh, right…” Taylor grinned, even though he hadn’t gotten the job. The reflexive smile could be blamed on the memory of the night he told her about it. How they had hung out, just the two of them, after work. Something that had never happened before or since. “I didn’t get it.” 

“Shit, I’m sorry…”

“No, no, it’s okay. I don’t know if I would have been right for it anyway.” 

“Well...I’m still proud of you for applying and trying.” 

“You are?” It was nice to hear someone say they were proud of him. He couldn’t deny that. 

“Yeah! You put yourself out there! That takes guts no matter what.” 

“Thanks, Andry. That’s really uh...that’s really sweet of you.” He wondered how many minutes she could spare with him before Zac came looking. He knew how this worked. 

As though he had been conjured, Zac appeared in the doorway, tossing his own empty bottle through the air and into the trash can. “Whatchy’all talkin’ about?” he asked, bouncing towards the fridge and swinging open the door. Taylor hadn’t told him that he was looking for a new job, and didn’t really feel like explaining his defeat. 

“Just restaurant stuff,” he said quickly, before Andry could answer. 

“Booooorinnnnnng!” Zac sang, throwing his arm around Andry and pulling her close. Taylor had noticed over the years that the more alcohol they both consumed, the more they seemed to have magnets all over their skin and apparently had to be touching each other. It really was a wonder that either of them had dated other people since their friendship became so...intense. Andry’s own arm snaked around Zac’s waist as her nose crinkled. 

“Be nice!” she berated playfully, turning her head to look at Zac. Their noses were inches apart. Taylor had to get out of there. As much as he enjoyed the few encounters he had with Andry lately, his brother was always right on her heels, and their friendship was just as obnoxious as ever. Maybe even more so, now that Taylor knew Zac was dating a different girl and casually calling her his girlfriend. 

He sat back down at the table, where Avery was laying out the Pictionary board. He picked at the paper label on his beer bottle and sighed as Andry’s giggles rang out from the kitchen. He wondered if they would ever figure it out. He wondered if he wanted them to.


	10. I Know This Story By Heart

Chapter Ten 

Andry

“Walden, you’re cut!”

Andry whipped her head around, finding Tony, her manager, in the sea of guests waiting to be seated. 

“No, I’m not,” she said, gesturing to the long waitlist on the host stand. 

“Yes, you are. You’ve been here since open this morning. We gotta get you off the clock or you’re gonna go into overtime.” 

“Let her go into overtime, please!” Callie begged, taking a stack of menus from Andry’s hand and turning on her customer service voice. “Right this way, please!” the couple trailed after her and she threw a look of desperation towards Tony in a last ditch effort to keep Andry on the clock. It was New Year’s Eve, Bella Cucina’s busiest night of the year. 

Andry would never admit it, and would always pretend to be disappointed when the schedule came out every year, but she loved working on New Year’s Eve. It was busy, sure, but it felt like a big party. The servers were allowed to wear sequined shirts and flashy jewelry, almost every table ordered champagne, and at midnight the whole staff gathered in the kitchen for a toast. The night always flew by, and by the end of it, everyone was still in a good mood because they all knew they made more tips than any other night. She had opened that morning, since it was a weekday, but had stayed on way past shift change. 

“I seriously can stay, I don’t mind,” she offered. There were four hosts on, and she knew they would be fine with three, especially since Tony handpicked the strongest ones for nights like this. 

“Clock out. It’s before midnight, go kiss someone!” 

Andry handed over her pen and the waitlist to Callie, relinquishing control of the host stand. She gave Tony a quick peck on the cheek, and went to the back to gather her things. 

“Where the hell are you going?!” Taylor called from back behind the pizza oven as she made her way through the kitchen. 

“I’m being forced out!” she replied dramatically. Taylor’s face was drenched in sweat, and he had flour all down the front of his apron. “But honestly I have no idea what to do now...I was planning on being here all night.”

“Lucky you,” he grumbled sarcastically. She wished she could let him go in her place. 

“Do you know where your brother might be?”

“Isaac is probably with Mia.” 

“Very funny.” 

“Um no, I don’t. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay. I’ll see you later.” 

Andry walked out the kitchen door and immediately dialed Zac’s number. She was expecting him to let it go to voicemail, but he picked up on the second ring. It sounded loud, wherever he was. 

“Hey buddy!” 

“Hey! I just got cut. Where are you?” 

“I’m only a few blocks from you, you should come here!” 

“Oh, really? Okay! Are you like...with…”

“No, no, I came with some friends from school. I’m at The Station Bar. I’ll buy you _all_ the drinks if you come!” 

“I was already going to come, you don’t have to sell me!” 

“Okay, okay...see you soon, bud!”

***

It was not the first time they had been each other’s New Year’s kiss.

In fact, there were a handful of drunken nights that ended with them kissing. Once it even progressed to making out before one of them pulled away and started laughing too hard to continue. 

The bar was crowded and noisy and by the time Andry arrived, Zac had seemingly lost the small group of friends he had been with. He greeted her with a huge smile and a rum and coke. “My favorite person!” he exclaimed, making it clear that he was already a few drinks in. 

“Where’s Amelia?” she asked frankly. He laughed at her signature non-sequitur way of communicating that he knew so well. 

He shrugged, and Andry could tell that he didn’t want to talk or think about it. But, it was her job as his best friend to help him through the hard times. At least, that’s how she justified her own prying. 

“Do you not know or do you not want to know?” 

“I’m pumping the brakes.” 

“What does that even mean?” 

“I just...I don’t know. I don’t think she is...I don’t think we’re meant to be or anything like that.” 

“You like her though, right?” 

“I’m not even really sure. She’s very nice...very sweet. Almost too sweet, at times.” 

Andry yelped with laughter and took a long gulp of her drink. “So what’s the problem?” 

“Nothing is as fun as hanging out with you.” 

When the ball dropped, Zac pulled her close and kissed her, both of them smiling into each other on the dance floor. He tasted like rum and stupid decisions and Andry couldn’t even pretend not to enjoy it.


	11. It's Late and This Song is for You

Chapter Eleven

Taylor

It had been another less than stellar night at _Bella Cucina_ , and all Taylor wanted to do was get home, wash the smells of the kitchen off of his skin, and crash. Tensions ran high in the kitchen all night, and he was looking forward to leaving the fast paced stress behind for the weekend. He got into his car and turned the radio up, cracking the windows for fresh air even though it was still quite cold outside. After the heat of the pizza oven he welcomed the chilly breeze.

When he got home he wasn’t surprised to see Zac and Andry in front of the TV. He would have thought it impossible, but it seemed as though in the last couple of months, the two of them had gotten even closer. It confused him, but he couldn’t say that he minded. Zac was always in a better mood when he was single and hanging out with Andry all the time. He was generally happier, more motivated, and more excited about the band and the handful of gigs they had been able to book for the coming year. Taylor preferred that Zac to the moody one that seemed to come out only when he was dating. Except, Taylor realized, he didn’t know if Zac actually _was_ single right now. He could have sworn that Amelia was still in the picture. 

“Hey guys,” he said casually, as he made his way to the bathroom for his post shift shower. 

“Tay! How was the Bella?” Andry poked her head over the arm of the couch to ask him. The TV was on but she had a book propped open on her legs, which were slung over Zac. 

“Hell.” 

“So, business as usual!” 

The scene he had walked into was shockingly picturesque. Domestic, even. Andry reading, legs entwined with Zac. He looked around and noticed dishes on the stove and in the sink. 

“Did you guys cook?” 

“Yeah, there’s some left over if you want any!” Andry chirped. 

“Nah, I’m good. Night.” 

He was jealous, it was plain as that. He was jealous that, for whatever reason, Zac was a part of a team and he was not. He didn’t think he ever would be. They were so in sync with each other, and even though sometimes it was a bit nauseating from the outside, he was sure it felt nice to have someone you could sit at home with on a Friday night reading. 

He turned on the shower and let the water run until it was scalding hot.

***

“Thank you,” Taylor muttered into the mic, locking eyes with and nodding appreciatively towards the woman who had just thrown a couple of wrinkled dollar bills into his tip jar. He had taken a solo gig at the Hideaway, and even though it was the earliest set of the night, and even though he was just a sub for the regular musician, and even though there were only a smattering of people milling around the bar...he was absolutely buzzing with adrenaline and excitement. His fingers tingled as they made contact with the keys, and his heart flipped every time someone dropped change into the jar or smiled when they recognized a song.

After coming home from work the other night in total defeat, Taylor knew something had to give. The next day he went to the Hideaway and asked about filling in. He brought the EP he had made with his brothers a couple years ago to hand to the manager, and only a few days later, he got a call. 

He got his shift covered and hauled his keyboard downtown, excited to play in public for the first time in months. 

The music carried him through the whole two hour set. He sang covers and originals, trying his best to keep it upbeat so that the bar patrons had fun and the manager might ask him back. He felt at home up on that small stage, the sun still in the sky but casting a golden light through wall of open windows out to the street. 

When he took a break midway through the set, he sidled up to the bar. Before he could ask the bartender for anything, a beer appeared in front of him. He could get used to this. 

“I wasn’t sure what kind you liked, so I guessed.” 

Taylor looked to his right and saw the same woman who had thrown a few dollars his way merely moments before. 

“This is great, thanks,” he said, tasting the amber liquid. 

“Oh, good,” she took a drink of her own beer and flipped her long curtain of mahogany hair. “I’m Celie, by the way.” 

“Taylor.” 

“Do you play here a lot?” 

“Actually this is my first time ever playing here.” 

“No way!” 

“Yeah. I should have tried to get a gig here years ago but I just didn’t think of it.”

“Well I’m sure they’ll ask you back. You’re killin’ it up there.” 

Taylor chuckled, looking around at the nearly empty bar. He was hoping the foot traffic downtown would pick up as his set progressed. He saw Celie’s group of friends, twittering away in a clump and sneaking glances at her. He tried to hide his blatant eyeroll. 

“What are you doing after your gig?” She asked, a trace of hunger in her eyes. 

He knew that he should put himself out there. Wasn’t that the reason he was playing this gig? This girl was practically throwing herself at him, clearly she wanted to grab a couple drinks with him, maybe even take him home at the end of the night. But then what? Would he even ever see her again? 

This wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want to make small talk all night. He didn’t want to explain himself, justify the fact that he had been working in a kitchen for five years, justify the fact that he barely booked any gigs, justify the fact that he was always so tired. He wanted to get onstage and sing, and then go home where he could flop down on the couch and intertwine his legs with someone who knew his every habit and cook dinner together and watch TV while she read. 

“Probably just gonna pack up and go home. My girlfriend should be back by the time I wrap up here.” 

“Ah,” she said quietly, looking down at her beer sheepishly. “Makes sense. Well, I hope your next set goes well.” She hopped off the barstool and walked back towards her friends, shaking her head subtly to signal her defeat.

He only felt a little bad for lying. He was sure that if Andry was with him, and he needed an excuse to turn a girl down, she would happily pretend to be his girlfriend. He got back onstage and began to play, wishing she was there to see him.


	12. We Were So Gallant, So Unafraid

Chapter Twelve

Andry

Andry felt the first hint of spring against her skin and she swore the air itself felt like hope. There was a kind of electricity to it, as though a cleansing storm was approaching in the distance. She relished in the sensation of the sun on her bare skin as she walked from her apartment towards the Hideaway, where she was meeting Zac, Isaac, and Mia. Taylor was playing the early set, which had become his weekly Wednesday gig, and she couldn’t be happier for him. She took some ownership in his accomplishment, since it had been her idea for him to play there in the first place.

She walked briskly in time with the perfectly picked music streaming through her earbuds. She slammed her feet on the concrete, attempting to fill herself to the brim with confidence. The last few days had led her to a decision that she hoped she wouldn’t regret. 

Zac was still dating Amelia, albeit casually, and she finally let herself admit that she hated it. 

She hated sharing him. She hated wondering where he was. She hated when he talked about her. She hated when he admitted he didn’t even really like her that much. And she hated how much she hated it. 

“Ike is moving out,” he mentioned over the weekend, while they walked around downtown with ice cream cones to celebrate the impending spring time weather. 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yep.” Zac seemed sad about the prospect. Isaac had proposed to Mia only a week prior, and Andry couldn’t say that she was surprised. 

“I mean, that makes sense. It’s not like they were gonna get married and she was gonna move in with you guys.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

“Are you and Taylor gonna keep living there?” 

“Yeah, the lease isn’t up yet.” His eyes lit up, and Andry new it was because an idea had just struck him. “Oh my God, Andry...move in to our apartment!” 

“What?!” 

“Yeah, holy shit, I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. I’m an idiot.” 

“Well, I’m not gonna argue with that.” 

“Shut up. We can’t afford the place without someone in Ike’s room. It makes complete sense...you’re there all the time anyway. Plus, we’ll be living together eventually, might as well start now.” 

“Zac…” Andry tried halfheartedly to throw a disapproving look his way, but she was thrilled at the prospect. It’s not like she would have to make herself comfortable there, seeing as she practically lived there already, plus she would save money on rent living with roommates as opposed to living alone in her downtown studio. 

She also couldn’t help but notice that Amelia and her opinion on the matter was never brought into conversation. 

“Then when we get married, we can move out and leave Taylor alone to sulk around the entire apartment!” 

“Zac!” Andry dissolved into giggles, despite herself. 

There he was again, joking about getting married. It had become a staple in their banter. 

“Promise me you’ll think about it?” 

Andry could have said yes on the spot but she nodded slowly and said, “I promise.” 

That night her mind reeled. 

Her and Zac living together. It would be a blast, she was sure of it. It had been the plan all along, after all. They were going to be roommates and then…

Then what?! Get married? Have a kid named Lucy? There was something blatantly wrong with that plan, and her name was Amelia. 

The next day Zac went on a date and Andry picked up a dinner shift solely to keep her mind off of it. While at the host stand, she spilled her guts to the other girls working and before she knew it they were coming up with a plan to tell him how she felt. That he shouldn’t be with Amelia. He should be with her. 

She walked towards the Hideaway with her plan in mind.

***

“Do we need another round?” Mia asked, surveying the empty glasses on the table in front of them.

“Yes, please!” Isaac proclaimed, flashing her a toothy grin. 

“I’ll go with you, Mia,” Andry hopped up from the table, grateful for an excuse to get up and walk around a bit. She was jittery and hoped that another rum and coke might calm her down. She knew Zac could tell, too. She needed to settle her nerves before she gave herself completely away. 

“You okay?” Mia asked as they stood by the bar waiting for their drinks. “You seem...a touch manic.” 

Andry had always been a fan of Mia. She was so calm and put together, everything that Andry wasn’t...especially in this moment. 

“Yeah I’m...I’m fine.” 

“You seem nervous.” 

Andry sighed, wishing she had the ability to keep her mouth shut about her own problems. “I am, I guess.” 

“What about?” Mia had a gleam of understanding in her eye, as though she knew what was coming. 

“I’m gonna...I think I’m going to um…” she stopped as the four drinks were set down in front of her. 

“You better spill it, we have to take these back to the table and I doubt you want the boys to hear why you’re practically jumping out of your skin.” 

“Okay, fine, I’m going to tell Zac how I feel about him tonight. I’m going to tell him to dump Amelia and be with me.” 

Mia threw her head back in what could only be described as victory. 

“Finally," she practically groaned. 

“What?!” 

“Oh come on, Andry.” She grabbed her wrist and led her back to the table, where the boys were waiting expectantly. 

“I want to thank my brothers for coming out tonight,” Taylor said from the stage. Andry blinked and turned her head in his direction. She had forgotten he was even there.

***

“Thanks for driving me home,” Andry squeaked from the passenger seat as Zac made his way to her apartment. They had stayed at the bar for the next musician, drinking and laughing together even after Isaac, Mia, and Taylor had left.

“Yeah, of course.” 

It was a short drive, 5 minutes at most. After drinking and laughing and talking over music all night, the silence between them was nice. Andry closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window. 

“You okay, buddy?” 

“Yeah.” 

He pulled into her building’s parking lot and slowed to a stop. 

“See you tomorrow?” 

“Can we talk?” Andry blurted out. She had everything so eloquently planned but all of a sudden she just felt like yelling. 

“Um...yeah. Do you want me to…” he gestured over to the empty parking spaces. 

“Yeah.”

He pulled into a space and killed the engine. She noticed that he looked nervous. Scared, even. 

She took a deep breath. 

“Okay so...I know we joke about it all the time. You and me like, together. We joke about living together and getting married and running away. And I know it started as a joke but a lot of the time, I don’t feel like I’m joking anymore. And I don’t...I really don't think you are either. And I think we should at least...I don't know, _try_ what we always deny is happening anyway. And I don’t think you should be with Amelia. I think it’s unfair for everyone involved. I think...um...I think we should just like...stop joking about it and just try it. For real.” 

Her eyes were forward, looking at the porch light outside her front door. There was a moth buzzing around the bulb. She could hear Zac breathing beside her. 

Finally she snuck a glance over to him. His brow was furrowed but she couldn’t tell if it was confusion or clarity that clouded his brown eyes. 

“Anyway, that’s all. I guess.” 

She hopped out of the car and walked as fast as she could to her door. Her hands were shaking and she fumbled with the keys, dropping them once before she actually got the door open. She prayed he wasn’t watching her struggle with the lock. She stormed into her apartment, slammed the door behind her, and buried her face in her pillows, her cheeks burning with red hot embarrassment. She felt like crying and she didn’t even know why.


	13. Maybe We Can Talk It Out

Chapter Thirteen 

“Hello?”

“Hey, buddy.” 

“Hey.” 

“That was quite a speech you just gave.” 

“...yeah.” 

“Sorry I didn’t say anything I was...I was trying to figure out what to say. I hope it’s okay that I called.” 

“Of course it is.” 

“So the joking about like, getting married and everything. That should probably stop.” 

“I mean unless…” 

“Right. Okay. I probably shouldn’t have done that in the first place. I got really carried away with it. I just um..I figured we were on the same page about it.” 

“I mean, we were for a while. There’s only so much you can hear something before you start thinking it’s true.” 

“Yeah, I see that now.” 

“Okay.” 

“And, I don’t know, I guess it was really wrong of me. Well, okay, either it was really wrong of me and I made a huge mistake and led you to believe something or it was extremely right of me. And I’m...leaning towards that option.” 

“What?” 

“You’re my forever friend, you know that right? You’re supposed to be in my life. Forever.” 

“I...yeah I mean, I obviously feel the same way.” 

“I would never want to hurt you, Andry.” 

“I know.” 

“Even with words or promises.” 

“I know that.” 

“I think I said all of those things for a reason. And if that’s the case, then there’s something I have to do.” 

“Okay…” 

“I have a lot to think about, now.” 

“Yeah.” 

“I gotta go. I’ll text you when I’m home. I love you, buddy.” 

“Love you too, Zac.”


	14. Never Stopped or Gave Up

Chapter Fourteen

Andry 

Hope swelled in Andry’s chest.

She tried her best not to give into it, not to allow the smile to creep onto her face and stay there for the remainder of the night. She could see so clearly in her mind’s eye Zac, with new urgency, driving that very night to Amelia’s apartment, knocking on her door, and ending it. Telling her he was in love with someone else, and always had been, he just hadn’t realized it until that night, in his car, both of them staring forward at the porch light while Andry finally unloaded her feelings from the past few months (or years, she supposed). She could see him driving home, lighter than he had been only a few hours before. 

She stared at her phone as the night turned into morning, until her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted into a dream filled sleep. As she dozed, her mind raced through images of herself and Zac through the years, always drawn to each other, always falling back in towards each other, like they were each other’s axis - the point around which they both orbited. She could see a future stretching out in front of them, clearer now than ever before. Her phone remained in her hand as she snuggled under her covers and allowed sleep to overtake her, hoping that he would text her or call her and tell her that he had broken up with Amelia and they could really do this right. 

Her phone didn’t ring. 

She woke up the next morning, groggy from a fitful night of tossing and turning through her dreams. Her phone was next to her and she reluctantly looked at the screen. No messages or missed calls. Her heart sank. She knew she shouldn’t have let herself hope. 

On the quick drive to work, she tried her best to stay positive. She put on upbeat music and a cute outfit and made her way to the restaurant, hoping she would be working with a good staff who would lift her spirits. 

“Andry!” 

As soon as she walked through the kitchen door, she was greeted by Taylor, who was preparing dough behind the line. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“Hello to you, too!” 

“Sorry...I just...you never work lunches.” 

“I had to switch to lunches on Thursdays to make up for my Wednesday dinner shift.” 

“Wait you’re telling me you’re working a double?? Willingly?!” 

“I know, I know. It’s very out of character. I hate this place. But lunches are easy and the gig makes up for it.” 

“I’m impressed. You did a great job last night, by the way.” She actually didn’t know if her compliment was warranted. She hadn’t been paying much attention to Taylor last night. 

“Thanks! It was fun having you guys there.” 

“Mmhmm.” She looked down, a feeling of defeat settling on her shoulders. 

“You okay?” 

“What? Oh...yeah. I should get up front.” 

“Come visit me!” 

“I will, don’t worry.” Andry flashed a half hearted smile in his direction and made her way to the host stand, where she would spend the next six hours. She resisted the urge to ask Taylor if he had seen Zac that morning, if he looked different, if he looked hopeful. She was dying to know, but figured she could wait until Zac himself contacted her. 

The hours crawled by. She had prayed for the restaurant to be slammed, but of course it was one of the slowest shifts she could ever remember working. 

“This is torture!!” she finally exclaimed around 2pm, when business really started to grind to a painful stop. 

“Calm down,” Teresa, the bartender replied, without even looking up from her phone. There were no guests at the bar, or in the front dining room for that matter. All the servers except the closers had been cut, and Andry still had two hours before she was released from the monotony. 

“Teresa, watch the front for me.” 

Teresa grunted in agreement and Andry headed to the kitchen to bother Taylor. She still had exactly zero texts from Zac, and she figured that his older brother would have to suffice for now. 

“You dying yet?” she asked through the window. Taylor was leaning against the wall, earbuds in, swaying to his music. 

“Just a little, yeah. Is it always this slow?” 

“Hardly. Today is exceptional. Welcome to the lunch shift!” 

“Want me to make you a pizza? I’m not doing anything else.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah what do you want.” 

“Ummm...sausage and bell peppers and mushrooms and olives and --” 

“So everything?” 

“Sure, why not. Gimme the works!” 

Taylor chuckled as he started rolling out dough. “Shouldn’t you be up front?” 

“Nah. I came back to bother you!” 

“Thank goodness.” 

“What are you listening to?” She asked, motioning towards the earbud he had taken out of his left ear so he could talk to her. 

“It’s an artist called Soccer Mommy. Have you ever heard of her?” 

“Soccer Mommy?!” Andry asked, incredulously. She let out a loud laugh, which made Taylor laugh again. 

“Yes, that’s what she calls herself.” 

“No, I can’t say that I have.” 

“Here,” Taylor ripped a piece of paper out of the ticket printer and wrote down the name of the album. “Listen to it after work. I think you would really like her.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. Let me know what you think.” Taylor turned away and slid the pizza into the oven. “Okay, come back in a few minutes for lunch.” 

“I feel so spoiled! I never get to eat until at least 4.” 

“Consider it your new Thursday afternoon treat.” 

Andry slid the piece of paper into her pocket and made her way back up front. For a few minutes, she even forgot about Zac.


	15. Will You Carry Me Home?

Chapter Fifteen

Taylor 

_“What the heck, this album is so good!!”_

Taylor smiled down at the screen of his phone, which he kept on the counter of his workstation so he could see any incoming messages he might receive during his shift. His hands were covered in flour and dough, so he couldn’t respond, but he was thrilled to see that Andry had listened to his recommendation and that she had liked it. 

_“Scorpio Rising is my favorite. The lyrics!! So, so, good.”_

He nodded, as though she could see him. That was his favorite song on the album as well. He glanced at the clock and saw that the night was, mercifully, coming to an end. He was pretty sure it had been the longest day of his life. He hadn’t worked a double in years, and this one seemed particularly monotonous. 

The kitchen shut down for the night and he was cut, leaving the clean up to Leo, the closing line cook. He thanked Garrett and rushed out from behind the line, dying to change out of his work clothes. 

He wasn’t sure what steered his feet away from his parked car and deeper into downtown, but he wandered towards the Hideaway. He felt dead on his feet and yet he figured he could use a drink after the long day of pizza making he had just endured. He walked the few blocks to the bar, hoping a good band was playing so maybe he could just sit for an hour or two and drink in peace, listening to the music. 

He saw her talking animatedly at one of the tables outside, her wispy blonde curls framing her face and catching the red light from inside the bar. She was with a whole group of servers from the restaurant, most of whom had been cut an hour or two prior. 

Taylor had the urge to turn around and go home, not completely sure if he wanted to spend his time away from the restaurant with the same people he saw at work every day. But before he could make an escape, Andry spotted him and waved like a lunatic. 

“Taylor!!” 

He sheepishly smiled at her and ambled over, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“What are you doing out? Do you go out now?!” she yelled over the music. 

She was on a whole different level. Her pitch was high and her volume was off the charts. She was kneeling on the bench, perched up on her knees so that she loomed over the rest of the group. 

“Not really, but I just worked a double so I thought I could use a drink.” 

“Amazing! I’ll get you one. Whatever you want.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Andry.” 

“But I want to! You willingly worked a double at Bella. It’s celebration time, my friend.” 

Her watery eyes and slightly slurred speech signalled to Taylor that she was already drunk. Simply from knowing her habits around the apartment, Taylor knew that Andry going out two nights in a row was incredibly rare. In fact her going out with the staff at all was pretty much unheard of...she usually reserved her evenings for Zac. Something seemed amiss. 

She stumbled towards the door, her eyes fixed on the band inside playing. Taylor slipped a supportive arm under her elbow and guided her inside. 

“How long have you been here?” 

“Brooke texted me and I live downtown anyway!” 

“That didn’t answer my question at all!” 

She cackled in response. 

“You listened to that album, though?” 

“Yes! Yes, I did! I loved it. Matched my mood,” she mumbled the last part, her eyes darkening under the weight of the words. The album he had suggested was definitely not a happy one. He noticed, but decided not to push the topic. She was too drunk to have any sort of meaningful conversation. 

Andry ordered him a beer and got herself another round, at which point, Taylor decided to keep a close eye on her and make sure she got home safe. He knew she probably walked here, and it was already too late for her to be walking home by herself through downtown. For a flickering moment he was annoyed that he had decided to go out and almost immediately was relegated to babysitting, but then he realized that he would rather have someone to look out for than not. 

“You guys, we have to come out on a Wednesday next time so we can see Taylor play!!” Andry announced to the table, “he plays here every week! Can you believe it?” 

Taylor laughed quietly. He searched his memories but he didn’t think he had ever seen Andry drunk. Tipsy at Thanksgiving, sure, but never this far in. 

“Shhhh Andry, you’re yelling.” 

“I’m only YELLING because I’m trying to promote you! The band has pretty much ceased to exist, I gotta be a fan of something.” 

“The band hasn’t ceased to exist.” 

“You haven’t played a gig since last Fall, buddy.” 

At the exact moment it left her mouth, Andry and Taylor both realized she had used the term of endearment that both she and Zac reserved for each other. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes, and she gulped down the rest of her drink, slamming it dramatically on the wooden table. 

“Another!” 

“Absolutely not,” Taylor said, getting up from his seat and going behind her to hoist her up. “I’m sure it’s been fun everyone, but I have to get this one home. She works in the morning.” 

“Wait, is there something we should know?” Summer, a server with a sly smile, asked.

Taylor shot down her inquiry with an annoyed look and steered Andry away from the bar. 

“I have to cash out!!” 

“Okay, come on.” 

After settling her bill, they made their way slowly from the bar to Taylor’s car, Andry stumbling every few steps until finally Taylor slung her arm over his shoulders so he could bear the brunt of her weight. By the time he got her into the passenger side, a sweat had broken across his temples. He hoped she didn’t need to puke, or that she would at least wait until she was back at her place. 

“You’re really nice to me,” she muttered when he pulled out of the parking lot. 

“Shhh.” 

“I’m serious!” 

“You’re drunk!” 

“I know.” 

He wondered if he should call Zac and make him deal with his sloppy best friend, but thought better of it. 

“Why did you go out tonight?” 

She looked at him, shocked at his candor. “Cause I felt like it!” She said, defiantly. 

“You sure that’s the only reason?” 

“What happened to you being nice to me?” She let her head fall back onto the seat. It was only a short drive to Andry’s apartment. The car pulled into the parking lot and Taylor glanced over at her, only to find tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” He cooed, pulling into a parking spot and killing the engine quickly. “Andry! What is it?” He reached over and took her hands, feeling stupid about the gesture as soon as he did it, but feeling the need to do something to let her know he was there, supporting her. 

Sobs erupted from her throat. 

“I’m so...STUPID.” She heaved air in and out of her lungs, wheezing and sputtering, tears falling quickly. 

“Andry, come on…” 

“No, really, I’m stupid. I was stupid to ever think…” 

“Here, let’s go inside. We’ll get you some water. Come on.” 

Taylor got her inside and led her to bed. He filled a cup with ice cold water and essentially forced her to drink it, after which she gagged and threw up in the toilet. If he wasn’t cradling a crying girl, he would have laughed at how cliche he felt holding her hair back while she spewed the contents of her stomach. 

“You really went for it, didn’t you?” 

“Yeah…” she said, sounding defeated. “I never do that.” 

“I know you don’t, that’s why I’m so surprised.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“You’re always at my apartment, Andry.” 

“That’s fair," she muttered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. 

“It’s gonna be okay, you know.” He helped her to her feet and she staggered to her bed. Taylor perched himself on the edge, feeling awkward even though at this exact moment, Andry clearly didn't care. 

“You don’t even know why I’m crying.” 

“I have an idea.” 

“I told him everything.” 

“What?” 

The tears started yet again. She let herself collapse back onto her pillows and covered her face with her hands. In between sobs she told Taylor what happened the previous night. 

“I really thought...I really thought he was going to drive to her house and break up with her. He obviously didn’t.” 

“Maybe he just needs some time to think…” Taylor suggested, even though he knew better. He knew that when Zac made a decision, he made it. 

“No, they spent the day together. That’s why I went out and drank until I puked.” 

“They did?” 

“Yeah. I saw on instagram. They went to a baseball game together. Zac doesn’t even like baseball!” 

Taylor pulled her into him and let her cry, darkening the front of his t-shirt with her tears. He stayed there until her sobs and hiccups subsided and she fell asleep. Then, the weight of her in his arms oddly comforting, so did he.


	16. It Was Good But Now It's Gone

Chapter Sixteen

Andry

Andry woke up and immediately regretted it. Her mouth was dry, and her throat felt as though it was lined with sand. She was hungry and nauseous all at the same time. There was a pain behind her eyes that made it seemingly impossible to open them.

There was an arm draped over her, holding her in place. She didn’t remember Zac coming over, but it wasn’t unlike him to answer her drunk texts and make sure she drank water before she fell asleep. He probably stayed to make sure she was okay, and then fell asleep in her bed, like so many nights previously. She scrunched up her face in an attempt to make her splitting headache subside. It didn’t work. 

She needed water more than anything. And maybe some breakfast to soak up the alcohol still lingering in her stomach. When she finally was able to crack her eyes open, she looked at the clock by her bed and saw that she had exactly three minutes to get up, get dressed, and get to work. 

“Oh, fuck me,” she muttered, causing Zac to stir beside her. She sat up and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” 

She turned to look at Zac, hoping he would help her out and drive her to work. 

It wasn’t Zac. 

It was Taylor.

Suddenly the night came rushing back to her. The Hideaway, too many drinks, Taylor driving her home, the tears that came bubbling to the surface at the mere thought of Zac ditching her for Amelia. Taylor taking care of her. Taylor falling asleep in her bed.

Her head pounded harder. There was no way she was going into work. 

She got her phone and went to the bathroom, hoping no one from last night would rat her out and tell Tony that she wasn’t really sick, she was just hungover. 

“You don’t sound too good, Walden…” 

“I’ve been throwing up all morning, Tony. I don’t think I can open.”

Tony sighed heavily and granted her the day off, saying that the only reason she was being shown any mercy was because she had never called out before. She crawled back into bed and turned away from Taylor, hoping that maybe if she fell back asleep, he would be gone when she woke up.

***

“I made coffee...I hope that’s okay.”

Andry sat up in her bed, taking in the image of Taylor at the kitchen counter pouring coffee into a mug he found in her cabinet. 

“Coffee is always okay,” she said, holding out her hand for the cup. He handed it to her and poured another for himself. 

“How ya feelin’, champ?” 

Andry groaned in response and took a gulp of the hot liquid. “I need food.” 

“Yeah I’m starving. It’s almost noon but we could go to that diner a few blocks over. They have breakfast all day. I mean, I’m only guessing that’s what you want...but it is the best hangover food.” 

“That sounds great. Can I get more coffee there?” 

“I would expect nothing less.” 

After a big, greasy breakfast of potatoes and eggs, Andry asked Taylor to take her back to her apartment so she could crawl back in bed. He told her that, as someone who has nursed lots of hangovers, sometimes getting up and going about your day helps more than anything, even if you want to sleep it off. She replied that it wasn’t the hangover that made her want to pull the covers over her face. 

He walked her to the door and she almost cried at how lovely the gesture was. 

“Thanks for taking care of me, Taylor,” she said, hugging him tightly to try and convey how grateful she really was. 

“Of course. I had a nice morning!” 

She wished so much that she could replace the sadness in her expression with anything else. 

“I’ll see you at work?” She opened the door and scurried in without waiting for a response. 

She got into bed and pulled her phone out, opening up the text window between herself and Zac. She started about ten different messages before giving up and closing her eyes, letting herself fall back into the uncomplicated realm of sleep.


	17. I Remember The Rush

Chapter Seventeen

Taylor 

Summer arrived quickly, the thick, muggy air of June wiping out any feel of spring in the air. Taylor no longer had any reprieve when he stepped out of the kitchen into the night - the outside air just as sweltering as his station by the pizza oven.

The last few months had proved interesting. He kept his weekly gig at the Hideaway, suffering through doubles every Thursday in order to keep those three hours on the tiny stage a few blocks away from the restaurant. He relished in that time, hoping to find the motivation to look for more gigs like it, maybe even book the band for something, but that push never came. In fact, his self esteem had taken a nosedive the day he had to move into a much smaller, much shittier, and yet much more expensive apartment after being unable to find a roommate to take over Isaac’s portion of the rent. Zac had been no help at all, claiming that he had tried his best, offered the room to Andry, and never got a solid answer from her. Taylor knew there was so much more to it than that. 

He basically begged Isaac to stay in the apartment, but his older brother was having none of it. 

“I’m about to get married, Taylor. I’m gonna move in with my fiance. You guys can figure it out. I did.” 

Taylor resented him for his cavalier attitude about the whole thing, but instead of picking a fight, he just rolled his eyes and continued packing. Luckily, he and Zac found a place in the zero hour, albeit a cramped one. 

If he didn’t know better, he would have assumed that Zac was planning on getting an apartment with Andry, but he hadn’t seen her outside of work in weeks. After the drunken night at the Hideaway, she had steered clear of any of his gigs, only waving quickly when she left work, her earbuds already stuffed into her ears and no doubt drowning out her thoughts. 

He didn’t have the heart to ask Zac if she was okay. He wasn’t keen on seeing his reaction when he told his brother that he had spent the night in her bed, wiping her tears, and holding her hair back while she puked. Plus, tensions had been high since the move, and if they were planning on continuing to live together without Isaac there to mediate, Taylor knew they would both need to keep a low profile and stay out of each other’s business. 

And so, he continued to pull pizzas out of the oven and listen to music while the kitchen bustled around him in order to pay his new rent. The summer months were always slower at Bella Cucina, but luckily as a kitchen worker his paycheck always remained the same. 

He was shocked to look up from his station on a Friday evening and see Andry’s face in the passthrough window, looking at him nervously. Her expression made him laugh. It was as if she had become embarrassed since the night they spent together, which was so completely opposite of everything she had proved to be since he had known her. 

“Yes?” He asked, meeting her gaze. 

“Just saying hi.” 

“You’re bored up there, aren’t you.” 

“Yeah, there are three hosts on and we really only need two.” 

“What’s up? I haven’t seen you at the apartment in a while.” Taylor immediately regretted bringing up the apartment because the apartment meant Zac and Zac meant some deep well of pain that Andry tried her very best to cover up every day. 

“Yeah, I haven’t been invited over,” she shrugged and stated, a sharp edge to her tone. 

“So you haven’t seen…” 

“No.” 

“Oh.” 

Taylor didn’t really want to get into this right now, but he figured it was his fault for bringing it up. Everything had been off since Andry and Zac stopped spending all their time together. It was like there had been a shift in the cosmos and now everything was just the slightest bit off kilter, even for him. 

“Have you talked to him at all? Like...has he tried to contact you?” 

She looked down bashfully, trying to hide the emotion welling up within her. 

“Yeah maybe a couple times.” 

“And?” 

“Nothing substantial.” 

“Sorry...we shouldn’t be talking about this here. There are pizzas to make, after all.” 

Andry shifted on her feet, and pulled some tickets from the printer, hanging them up on the line for the food runners. 

“Listened to any good albums lately?” she asked. 

Taylor’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Yeah there are a few you might dig. I’ll write some down for you. Check back with me in a little while, I have tickets.” 

She smiled, and he felt the tension melt away, finally. “Okay. I should get back up front anyway. I’ll come back, though.” 

“Cool.” 

“Cool.” She bounced away, looking lighter than she had only a few moments before.

***

When Taylor got home that night, Zac was on the couch playing video games and nursing a 2 liter of soda. He tossed his backpack into a kitchen chair and scoured the fridge for something to eat. Without Isaac around, their quality of life had gone downhill pretty quickly. He found some old chinese leftovers, sniffed them for safety, and stuck them in the microwave.

“Hey,” Zac said, not even turning around. 

Zac had graduated a week ago, and was really leaning into the whole “school’s out for summer” vibe. Taylor wanted to slap him...anything to get it through his head that once you were out of school, there was no summer vacation. He needed to find a steady job so that they wouldn’t lose this apartment. Taylor had even offered to help him look...as long as he steered clear of the restaurant. 

“Hey,” Taylor replied, watching the leftovers spin in the microwave. He knew he shouldn’t bring it up, and yet something was pushing him to open his mouth. “Have you seen Andry lately?” 

Zac froze, almost automatically losing a life in the game in front of him. “No,” he answered, clearly not up for furthering the discussion. 

“Okay. Just thought I’d ask.” 

“Why?” 

“No reason.” 

Silence fell over the room once more. Taylor took the carton of lo mein to his bedroom and didn’t come out again until he heard Zac turn off the TV and go to bed.


	18. But We're The Greatest

Chapter Eighteen

Andry 

_“Newest. Like it?”_

Andry sent the text and stepped back to admire her work. Since she no longer had Zac’s key card at her disposal, she had to make do with making her studio apartment her actual studio. It was a small room; you could reach something on the kitchen counter if you stretched off the end of the bed and grasped, but there was enough room by the front door for an easel, and once the paintings dried, she could store them easily by propping them up against the wall. Two of the walls had windows running the length of them, so she lifted the blinds, opened all the windows, and painted until the sun went down. Without anyone around to validate her work, she had taken to photographing each painting on her phone and texting them. 

To Taylor. 

Her phone buzzed almost immediately with Taylor’s response. 

_“That’s beautiful! I love all the orange.”_

Andry smiled with satisfaction. Her friendship with Taylor had deepened out of necessity, but they had fallen into a nice rhythm. He recommended her albums, scrawling titles and artists on old pizza tickets, she would download the music while walking home, she would start painting, and show him the outcome. It was a good routine. They never talked about anything else - including his brother. She wanted to keep it that way. 

June had come to a close, bringing with it a stiflingly hot July, and Andry had become a bit of a lone wolf. She didn’t mind. Her texts and brief interactions with Taylor were really all she needed. She was shocked at how hard she threw herself into her painting now that she didn’t go over to Zac’s every day. _Maybe this was supposed to happen_ , she rationalized in her own head. _Maybe without this weird falling out, I would have never painted these._ She surveyed all the work she had done in the past couple of weeks. Surely she could take these to a coffee shop somewhere and have them hang them up for a week or two. Or maybe she could even rent a gallery for a night. A real exhibit would really show Zac that she was doing great. _But that’s not the point,_ she thought, _I don’t care if he thinks I’m doing great._

She opened instagram and posted the picture of her latest painting - a field of poppies under a stormy sky. She captioned it, “Latest project is coming along nicely…” smiling at her own vagueness. In reality she didn’t have a plan, but the rest of the world didn’t need to know that. 

She took her brushes over to the sink and started cleaning up, turning on the overhead light now that the sun was dipping down towards the horizon. The New Pornographers album had been playing on a loop since she got home, the newest recommendation from Taylor. It made her feel light, as though she were made of little electric pinpoints. She would have never thought to listen to this music without him scribbling it down for her. It was strange; she felt as though whatever he suggested was always exactly what her body was craving in that moment. 

She closed all the windows but one and changed into pajama shorts, even though it was only 8pm. She picked up her phone and flopped back onto her bed, checking to see who liked the picture she posted. 

_ZWHanson liked your post._

A lightning bolt ripped through her chest. 

She had unfollowed both him and Amelia, simply to protect herself. She stared at his username, longing bubbling up in her chest. Before she could even begin to talk herself out of looking at his profile, he texted her. 

_“That’s a really good painting, buddy.”_

She hated herself for the smile that crept to her lips, and for the relief that washed over her body at the sight of his name, and the way she could breathe again for the first time in months. She closed her eyes and exhaled.

_“Thanks!”_

That was all she allowed herself to type back to him. 

_“Have you been sneaking into the art rooms without me?”_

All at once, everything felt right again. Back to normal. Okay. 

_“No I set up a little space in my apartment. Had to buy canvases for the first time since college but I’ll get over it. Worth it.”_

He didn’t respond for five minutes, and just as she was about to put her phone on the bedside table and try to distract herself with something else, he called. 

“Hello?” she answered tentatively. 

“Hey buddy. Sorry, I’m driving now and I didn’t want to die...cause of death, texting Andry. He died as he lived!” 

Her heart flipped a little at the sound of him saying her name. 

“Good call.” 

“I wanna see all your stuff! I know that’s not the only thing you’ve painted recently.” 

“I can send you pictures.” 

“Yeah, do that.” 

“Where are you driving to?” 

“My parents' house. I’m house sitting for them while they’re on vacation with the younger ones.” 

“Oh cool. That’ll be nice!” 

“Yeah I’m actually looking forward to being in a nice clean house for a little while. Mine and Tay’s new place is not great.” 

“Oh no...no Isaac to keep it in order!” 

“Or to yell at us to do chores.” 

They both laughed, their shared history bridging the gap created by the few months of silence. 

“So yeah, it’ll be good. Plus a pool. I’m pretty stoked.” 

“Hey, Zac?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Why did you call me?” 

“...I missed you. I missed my best friend.” 

Zac and Andry stayed on the phone for hours, filling each other in on every single detail about their lives since the spring. Andry told him any work gossip she could remember, and Zac told her about his job hunt. She marveled at his ability to coast, while she had flown into an employment panic the day after high school graduation. Finally, the subject of Amelia was broached. Andry steeled herself, but was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t feel any pangs of jealousy or heartache at the mention of her name. She figured she had gotten it all out of her system that first week when she could barely get out of bed. She didn’t mention any of this to Zac. 

“I think it’s time to call it quits,” he said with a sigh. 

“Oh?” Her heart didn’t flutter with hope. She knew how this went. Plus, she really did feel as though something had clicked back into place, and she and Zac were back to normal. Best friends and nothing more. They could do this. They could come back from it. 

“Yeah. It’s just...I don’t know. I never wanted this to be a super serious thing and like, now we’ve both graduated from college. Who knows where I’ll be in a year. Probably living with you in New York or something.” 

“Doubt she would like that.” 

“Yeah, no. She likes me so much more than I like her and I’m just...I’m not really sure we have that much in common. I think I should do it tomorrow.” 

“Why tomorrow?” 

“Well, it’s almost the Fourth and I’m supposed to go to her family’s big party and if I want to break up with her I definitely don’t want to go to a party where I have to pretend to be happy and meet all her extended family and…” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

“Then again, I won’t have any plans for the holiday.” 

“I don’t either, it’s cool.” 

A few moments of thick silence passed before either one of them spoke again. Andry was worried Zac could hear her thunderous heartbeats through the phone. 

“You could come over to my parents’. I got a pool! Would that be weird? If it’s too weird you don’t have to come. But...we could make it not weird.” 

Andry couldn’t believe that over the course of one single phone call, everything felt back to normal. She sighed with relief. 

“I’ll be there.”


	19. On The Way Down

Chapter Nineteen

Taylor 

“Morning, sunshine,” Taylor chirped as Andry walked into the kitchen on Thursday morning, iced coffee in hand. She looked happy. Really happy. Happier than he had seen her in weeks.

“Hey!” She said, realization dawning on her face. “Oh shit, I forgot it was Thursday! Taylor’s weekly double!” 

“Yeah, lucky me.” 

“You’re lucky because you get to hang out with me during the lunch shift. I call that lucky, for sure.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, dropping his focus back down to the dough he was prepping for the day. 

The next day was the 4th of July, and Taylor had no plans, other than working at the restaurant for the dinner shift. He always worked holidays, unless they fell on a weekend. Typically, he would go over to his parents house and swim with his younger siblings until he had to go into work, but his mom and dad had carted the younger ones off to Florida for a week long family vacation that he, Zac, and Isaac were apparently not invited to. They had asked Zac to house sit for them while they were away, claiming that Taylor would be too busy with work to take care of the dogs. It frustrated Taylor that Zac was being rewarded for his unemployment, but he figured that some alone time at the apartment would be kind of nice. It would almost feel like he had his own place. For a week, at least. 

“What are you doing for the holiday tomorrow?” he asked Andry cautiously, when he saw that she was still lingering in the kitchen. 

“Oh...um…” her entire energy shifted, her eyes darting around nervously. “I don’t think I have any plans.” 

“You don’t think you do, or you don’t.” 

“I don’t.” 

With that she scurried out of the kitchen. 

He knew there was only one person that could make her act that weird. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and texted his brother. 

_“Any fourth of july plans?”_

It was still morning, so Taylor was pleasantly surprised when Zac texted back so quickly. 

_“Nah. Might hang out with Andry.”_

_Mystery solved_ , Taylor thought to himself, snorting. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. They were both such idiots.

***

_Taylor lit Avery’s sparkler, watching as the flame illuminated her giddy face. Zoe and Mac were behind her in the grass, dancing around with their sparklers like two whirling dervishes. After extinguishing the match, he poured himself some lemonade and took a seat on the pool wall next to Jessica, who had her feet in the water._

 _It was twilight, and before long it would be time to watch the neighborhood fireworks that were set off at the park a few blocks away. The Hanson family had a great view of the show from their backyard, and the whole clan often gathered outside for burgers and hotdogs as the sun went down. The sky was purple, deepening in hue with every passing second._

_“Think Mom would let me have some punch?” Taylor asked his younger sister, looking into his glass of lemonade and wishing it was something a little stronger. He was only 20, and would have to wait until next March be of legal drinking age, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t had his fair share of alcohol. He worked in a restaurant, after all. Plus, he lived with Isaac, who always shared. Isaac had just started dating Mia, and Taylor was seeing less and less of his older brother. Zac, of course, had Andry. Taylor felt very alone._

_“You could try,” Jess responded with a shrug. She was still in high school and was experimenting with being a sullen teenager. It suited her. Taylor couldn’t help but see himself in her rolled eyes and heavy sighs. He knew he was very much the same way when he was roaming the halls in his sophomore year._

_Taylor flinched as water splashed his direction. “Sorry, Tay!!” Andry called from the middle of the pool. He wondered if she and Zac would ever leave their chlorinated haven. It was summer, and that is where they had spent almost all of their down time since Zac graduated in May._

_“It’s okay,” he replied, realizing it didn’t really matter if he got splashed. He was in a t-shirt and shorts and wasn’t planning on going anywhere._

_Andry and Zac swam up to the pool wall where Taylor and Jessica were sitting and hung over the side, their eyes twinkling with laughter. They sipped lemonade from their own cups and Taylor quickly realized that they had, somehow, gotten a hold of his mom’s special punch that she reserved for the adults in attendance. They giggled as they slithered away, back into the depths._

_A few weeks later, at the beginning of August, Taylor got Andry a job at Bella Cucina as a hostess. She quickly climbed the ranks and was soon promoted to day host - which meant a set schedule, higher pay grade, and more responsibilities. She handled the reservations and guest relations, and was very quickly respected by everyone in front of house. She flourished in the role, even though everyone knew the restaurant business was not where she would remain forever._

_The summer ended, Zac started art school, Isaac was promoted at the bank, and Taylor remained by the pizza oven. He was starting to think it was where he would live out the rest of his days._


	20. Endless Summer Afternoon

Chapter Twenty

Andry

“Hey buddy!” Andry practically shouted, picking up her ringing phone far too quickly and not even trying to hide her excitement. The sun was setting, and she had raised all the blinds in her apartment so that the room was full of golden beams. She had been painting aimlessly since she got home from work, just trying to distract herself for the rest of the day, not working on anything important.

“Hey!” He sounded excited too...breathless even. There was exhilaration in his voice. 

“What’s up,” she attempted to calm herself down and sound a little bit more casual, already afraid of driving him away again with her eagerness. 

“I’m just leaving Amelia’s.”

“Oh. And?” 

“We broke up.” 

“So you weren’t kidding about doing it soon.”

“No...no, I wasn’t. It was time. It...it needed to be over. We were stuck at a point and she wanted to move forward and I just...something just didn’t click, ya know? Plus, I missed my best friend.” 

Andry couldn’t help but beam at his words. He missed her? Well, of course. Of course...it all made sense now. Amelia was the reason he hadn’t been contacting her. Amelia somehow got it in her head that Andry was messing things up between her and Zac. It was dangerous having a female best friend and a girlfriend, after all. She sighed, relief washing over her for the first time in weeks. It was all coming together. This wasn't her fault and it wasn't Zac's...it was all some outside force that she never had to worry about again. 

“So, you feel good about it?” she asked, cautiously. 

“Yeah, I do. She definitely doesn’t.”

“Yikes.” 

“Yeah. But it’s okay. It needed to happen and hey, better now than later, right? She cried. I didn’t really know what to do so I just...left.” 

“Zachary!” 

“What! I mean I tried to comfort her but she told me not to touch her so I didn’t know what else to do!” 

Andry laughed loudly, her giggles echoing off the walls of her apartment. The sound was shocking. She hadn’t laughed this loudly in a while. 

“What a gentleman.” 

“Hey! I am!” 

“Sometimes.” 

“ANYWAY...are you coming over tomorrow, or what?” 

“Yeah, of course. Who else would I spend the fourth of July with?”

“Great question.”

***

“Happy Fourth, dork!” Andry called from her car as she flung the door open and tumbled out. Zac had heard her pulling into the driveway and stuck his head out of the front door. They ran to each other, colliding halfway. Andry threw down her backpack and dissolved into his firm, sturdy hug.

“Missed you, bud.” He mumbled, his face buried in her hair. 

She breathed deeply and nuzzled her nose into his shoulder. She didn’t care what had happened previously. She didn’t care that she had spent nights crying alone in her apartment, or that for weeks she felt as though he was the worst person on earth. She didn’t care that that he didn’t reciprocate her feelings exactly. She was just happy to have him back. No matter the context. 

They changed into their bathing suits and spent the day in the water, breaking only to grab a soda from the fridge and order pizza as the sun started to descend towards the horizon. The sun felt amazing on Andry’s skin. She had spent so long inside lately - painting, working, wallowing. 

Neither of them brought up Amelia. 

Neither of them brought up the night where it all broke. 

Neither of them brought up Andry's confession.

“I’m gonna go dry off,” Andry said, finally pulling herself out of the chlorinated water once the sky started to turn a dusky purple. 

“Good idea, it’s almost time for fireworks!” 

The day slipped by too quickly for Andry’s liking. Her whole body was buzzing and she felt intoxicated...or like she had downed a huge mug of espresso. She grabbed her clothes off of the couch and scurried to the bathroom, throwing her hair up into a messy pile of honey colored curls on top of her head. She looked at herself in the mirror and, for the first time that day, slowed down enough to catch her breath. 

_What are you doing?_ She asked her reflection. _What do you think is going to happen? You’ve been here before._

“Shut up,” she muttered. She turned away from the mirror and began to peel her bathing suit off of her still damp skin. “I’m just having fun.” 

It was true, she supposed. She hadn’t had this much fun in months. It was exhilarating, plain and simple. It was the high you get from a roller coaster or a skydive. It was a runner’s high, an adrenaline spike, and a manic episode all rolled into one. She sat down on the toilet and cradled her head in her hands. 

_You’ll have fun for a few weeks and then it will crash again, and you know it._

“Shut UP,” she said, a little more forcefully this time, determined to silence the voice for the night so she could watch the fireworks in peace. She yanked on her jean shorts and hung her bathing suit on the hook on the door, marching deliberately back out to the pool, showing nothing but brazen defiance to the strange voice in her head that had decided to appear. 

“There you are!” Zac said, his face lighting up at the sight of her. He was still in his swim trunks with no shirt on, and she hated how the sight of him in the pale purple light made her whole body ache. 

“Here I am!” 

The light was disappearing fast. Zac plopped down on a lounge chair and patted the one beside him. She took a seat and he hiked his legs up onto her lap. 

Everything was back to normal. At least, that’s what Andry told herself.


	21. A Victim of Changing Planets

Chapter Twenty One

Andry 

Andry felt awake again, and she never wanted to fall back to sleep. With an entire day of hanging out and swimming in his parent’s pool under their belts, Zac and Andry both seemed confident in their abilities to be back in action - best friends taking on the world together. She went back to work on Monday, skillfully texting him behind the host stand as the hours ticked by. As soon as it was 4pm, she rushed out of the restaurant and back to his side. They got sodas and walked around the arts supplies store, laughing so hard that tears leaked out of their eyes.

“I can’t breathe, Zachary!” she gasped, the two of them stumbling back to her car carrying a stack of blank canvases. 

They made their way back downtown and got ice cream, walking around aimlessly long after the cones had been consumed. Andry felt like they were making up for lost time, and she had a hunch that Zac felt the same way. Finally, she drove him back to his parents house for the night. Every molecule ached to stay with him, her entire body yearning for him to ask her to sleep over. But he didn’t, and she knew it was for the best. They had just started being friends again. She didn’t want to push her luck. Plus, that voice in the back of her mind reminding her that it was only a matter of time before she got hurt again wasn’t completely silenced. She hated that voice. But it wouldn’t go away.

***

_“Almost done, just waiting for Callie to come relieve me.”_

Andry looked up from her phone and noticed a large group of guests walking into the restaurant. She checked the time and rolled her eyes. 3:55pm. _Of course._

“Hi, Welcome! How many today?” 

“Umm, let’s see...eight? Eight of us.” 

Andry smiled her best customer service smile, pretending to be thrilled to seat an eight top right at shift change on a Wednesday before the openers had any time to settle in. 

“Give me one moment, please...I’ll get a table set up for you.” 

She trotted to the back dining room and started pushing two tables together. 

“Whoa, whoa, what is this?” Jeff, one of the opening servers asked. 

“Eight top just walked in. Can you take it?” 

“Yeah, I guess,” he responded with a sigh, grabbing beverage napkins and making sure he had a row of pens in his apron.

“Thanks, you’re a pal. I’ll seat them now.” 

After seating the table, Andry walked back to the kitchen, where she saw Taylor prepping the pizza dough for the evening. 

“Hey stranger!” she chirped. “Isn’t it Wednesday? Shouldn’t you be playing?” 

“Oh! Hey! No gig tonight, unfortunately. Trust me, I would much rather be there.” He didn’t explain any further. “Oh...I have something for you...hold on.” 

“For me?” she asked, genuinely curious what he could possibly be referencing. 

“Yeah um…” she watched as he rifled through his backpack, which he stored underneath the counter while he worked. He lifted up a plastic bag and handed it to her. When she peered inside she saw a stack of records. 

“What...Taylor, what is this?” 

“Just some records I bought over the weekend.” 

“For me?” she asked again.

She took out the stack, hoping that Callie was already clocked in and taking over up front. On the very top was the Soccer Mommy album Taylor had recommended to her, that she had fallen in love with. Below that was The New Pornographers, The Head and the Heart, Sheer Mag...all albums that she had downloaded to her phone per Taylor’s suggestion. 

“I know you've already listened to all that music but trust me...vinyl is better. Oh shit, do you have a record player? I didn’t even ask…” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

“Oh...ok, good. That would be embarrassing if you didn’t. On my part. Not yours." He chuckled nervously.

Andry couldn’t stop looking at the records and smiling. Finally, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket and she snapped out of the daze. 

“Thank you, Taylor,” she said, looking him straight in the eye. She really meant it. 

“Of course.” 

She made her way back up to the front, sighing with relief when she saw Callie’s short black bob and floral dress at the host stand. 

“Are you good?” she asked, just like she did every day at shift change. She clutched the stack of records to her body without even realizing it. 

“Yeah of course. What are those?” 

“Oh...um...some records that Taylor got me.” 

“Taylor? Pizza Taylor?” 

“Yeah, Pizza Taylor.” 

“He got you records?” 

“Yeah. I don’t really know why. But...it’s really sweet. Right? I don't know." She was getting flustered and she wasn't really sure why. She put her head down, hoping to deflect Callie's questioning. 

“That’s fucking adorable, Andry.” She gasped, “Oh wait, he loves you!” 

“Shut up, no he doesn’t. I can’t even get into all the reasons why that is not….why that’s not the case in any way.” 

Callie narrowed her gaze doubtfully. “Mmmhmmm…” 

“I’m serious, Callie. This is just….he was there for me through a hard time and I’m sure this is just a nice gesture.”

“Sure.” 

“Shut up. I have to go. Bye.” 

Andry grabbed her bag and flew back towards the kitchen and out the door. She avoided Taylor’s eyes as she did so, strangely embarrassed by the fluttering in her stomach that hadn’t ceased since he gave her his very thoughtful gift.


	22. I'll Give You My Best Side

Chapter Twenty Two

Taylor 

Giving Andry the records at the very beginning of his shift, when he still had 8 long hours of pizza making ahead of him, was probably not the best idea Taylor had ever come up with.

Earlier that day, he had gone to his favorite record store, mainly to get out of the apartment for an hour or two. Without Zac around, he was lonely and bored during the day before his shifts started, and the new place was pretty cramped compared to the apartment they had gotten used to with Isaac around. He often felt stir crazy, and would go to a coffee shop or bookstore to just get out for a bit. 

When he got to the store, he smiled at the girl behind the counter, who didn’t return the favor, and immediately lost himself in the rows of music at his fingertips. He let his mind wander as he flipped through the stacks, thinking about how for a few weeks he looked forward to recommending music to Andry, her delightful smile warming him up from the inside. He knew that in an hour or two after he scrawled the suggestion on the back of a used pizza ticket, he would get a text from her saying how much she loved the songs, how she identified with a certain track, how it all made her feel. 

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the Soccer Mommy album. He and Andry had talked about this one at length - her visceral lyrics cutting Andry to the core after she laid her heart out and offered it the Zac on a silver platter and he had...left it there. It had only been about a week since Andry’s texts to Taylor stopped but he had to admit, he missed her. He knew it had everything to do with Zac apologizing and coming back to her with his tail between his legs like a sorry puppy, and he knew he should be happy that their friendship had been mended, but...he selfishly wished he could rewind time back a few days, before they started hanging out again. 

Suddenly, without really thinking, he had a whole stack of albums in his arms - all music he had recommended to Andry over the last few months. 

When he took them to the register, the girl behind the counter looked at his selections. 

“These are all really good. Sheer Mag? Love them.” 

“Yeah they’re um...for a friend, I guess.” 

“You’re giving Soccer Mommy to a friend? That album makes me cry,” she said dryly. Taylor smirked. It was a strange choice, he supposed. It was definitely a heartbreak album. But Andry had said so herself, it matched her mood. 

“Yeah.” 

“Interesting. Is it their birthday?” 

“No I just...honestly I didn’t come in here to get her a gift I just kind of saw all these records and they all reminded me of her and I...I kind of just picked them up without thinking. Is that stupid? She’s heard all this music.” 

“Yeah but vinyl is better. We all know that.” 

“That’s true.” 

“And this is fucking romantic dude. You’ll get her for sure.” She smiled for the first time since he walked in, a gleam in her eye. His stomach clenched. That’s not what he was trying to do. He wasn’t trying to _get_ her. He wasn’t trying to steal her out from under his brother’s feet. Right? By the time he walked back to the apartment he had almost convinced himself. 

Now, he was back at the pizza oven, sweating through his clothes and waiting patiently for a text he wasn’t sure would ever come. Would she go home and immediately listen to the albums? Would she let him know? Would he care? 

_Stop it_ , he berated himself, snatching a ticket from the printer. He threw down a ball of dough a little too forcefully, causing Garrett to glance over at him. 

“Easy there, Hanson. It’s just pizza.” 

“Thanks, Chef,” Taylor grumbled in response, glancing down at his phone. 

He slid the pizza into the oven and turned back around, dusting his flour covered hands off on his apron. He picked up his phone and texted Andry, hoping he wouldn’t come off as too terribly desperate to hear from her. 

_"Let me know what you think once you’ve listened."_

He looked down at the screen and deleted the text. That was stupid, she had already heard all this music. The records were more of a symbol. A “hey I saw these and thought of you” symbol. A “this is music we bonded over” symbol. A “you’re my brother’s best friend and I think you might be in love with him but I also think I have feelings for you and I would treat you so much better” symbol. 

_"Hope you like the records. :)"_

He hit send.

***

It was closing in on midnight when Garrett finally cut Taylor. He went to the bathroom to change out of his grimy shirt, checking his phone in the hallway. No new messages. 


	23. Sweetheart, Psychopathic Crush

Chapter Twenty Three

Andry

When Andry pulled into her apartment building’s parking lot, Zac was already there waiting. He was sitting on the hood of his car thumbing through a book she had lent him a few months ago. Her heart flipped wildly in her chest at the sight of him.

“Hey, buddy!” she called over to him when she got out of her car. “What are you doing here?” 

Zac looked up from the book and a smile immediately spread across his face. “Hey! What took you so long?” 

She shrugged, unable to keep her own smile from growing too large. “Got caught up talking to people, I guess.” 

His gaze lingered on her face for a few moments before drifting down to the stack of records she was clutching against her body. 

“What’s that?” he asked, nodding his head towards her gift from Taylor. 

“Oh, just some records. Your brother gave them to me.” 

Andry watched as Zac’s face changed. She had never seen anything like it on him, and it unsettled her. It wasn’t quite anger, it wasn’t quite confusion, and it wasn’t quite possessiveness...and yet it was all three of those flashing across his face in rapid succession. 

“Why?” 

“Why what?”

“Why did Taylor give you records?” 

“Oh, he uh...sometimes he recommends music to me.” She didn’t delve any deeper into an explanation. She didn’t want to get into the fact that they texted about certain songs; discussed certain lyrics. She didn’t want him to know that these were in fact albums that he recommended to her while she and Zac weren’t talking, and that this very music had helped her through those weeks of silence. 

“Weird. Well, whatever, come on let’s go to my parents’ house.” 

“Right now?” 

“Yeah, I want to go swimming. Go get a suit and let’s go.” 

Andry rushed into her apartment and dropped the records onto her bed, laughing quietly to herself because she actually did _not_ own a record player. She would never tell Taylor that, though. She grabbed her bathing suit and ran back out to Zac’s car. 

She always felt at home in the passenger seat next to Zac. Safe. Understood. 

“I’m starving, can we get some food on the way?” she asked, after feeling her stomach rumble and realizing she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. 

“Yeah of course. Let’s just go to the grocery and get stuff to make dinner. And wine.” 

Andry was taken aback by the plan and the swiftness of his decision. Usually they just ordered pizza and drank soda from his parent’s fridge. 

“That...that sounds nice.” 

“Cool.” 

The air felt thick in the car, as if there was a storm in the distance, even though Andry could see nothing but clear skies for miles. The sun was bouncing aggressively off the pavement, everything bright and golden, nearly blinding her as they drove towards the grocery store. Andry wondered if she was going to suffocate on all the unspoken words, or the tension, or the way Zac’s demeanor had changed when he saw those records. Something was different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, or if it was necessarily a bad thing...but something had shifted.

***

“Zachary Hanson, I never thought I would see the day you would be cooking for me,” Andry teased, watching Zac prepare the spaghetti and meatballs. Sure, it was a pretty easy thing to make, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing Zac actually prepare himself a dinner that required using a burner. Without her help, that is.

“I’m not an invalid, Andry.” 

“I know it’s just...you usually make microwave easy mac or we order pizza or...I don’t know. This is nice!” 

It _was_ nice. It felt so incredibly different than any of their previous hang outs. In all the hours they had spent together, Zac had never poured her a glass of wine. Or a glass of anything. She sipped the chardonnay and tried to convince herself this wasn’t a date. It was just the two of them, hanging out like always. 

The sun continued to sink as the pasta cooked and the sauce simmered. Zac and Andry both drained their glasses and talked about everything: her shift that day, recent art projects, concerts they wanted to go to together, and the fact that Amelia wouldn’t stop calling Zac in an attempt to fix whatever had broken. 

“I don’t really want to fix it. There’s nothing to fix because there was nothing there, ya know?” 

“Really, Zac? Nothing? You dated for a few months, I would hardly call that nothing.” 

“I waited until I thought we had tried long enough and then realized that...Never mind, it’s stupid.” 

“What? You realized what?” Andry immediately chided herself for sounding too eager. Maybe this was it. Maybe he would tell her his true feelings for her...something she didn’t even know she had been waiting for. 

“I just feel like it should be easier. It should be more fun. I should feel like I’m having a good time, and be able to laugh, and drive around with no destination, and swim for hours in my parents pool. I missed...honestly I missed you. I missed that. I didn’t have that with her.” 

“That makes sense,” Andry smiled knowingly at Zac, certain that he understood, and that she understood, and maybe this was the start of something. 

When dinner was ready they made up their plates and headed out to the pool, slurping up pasta while their feet dangled into the cool water. 

“Zac, this is good!!”

“Don’t sound so surprised!” 

Andry laughed loudly, happiness zooming around her insides like a swarm of bees on speed. She felt so light, and so hopeful, and completely intoxicated, even though she had only finished one glass of wine. 

“Can we swim when we’re done? Is that allowed? I don’t want to drown.” She playfully swirled the water with her toes. 

“I won’t let you.” 

“Thanks, buddy.” 

The afternoon descended into evening and Andry and Zac slipped into the pool, bellies and wine glasses full. 

“Where are you gonna work?” Andry asked suddenly, realizing that Zac still had yet to find a job after graduation. 

“Ugh, not you too!” 

“I’m just wondering!” 

“Can’t you support the family?” Zac teased, looking at her with a gleam in his eye. Andry could never tell if she loved or hated when he made remarks like this about their future. She was never quite sure what they meant. She figured they would stop after that night in the car, when she admitted to falling for the daydreams. But here he was, making them yet again

“With my hostess job, sure. Makes sense.” 

“I’ll figure something out. I promise.” 

“I miss the band.” 

“Me too.” 

“I missed you a lot.” 

“Me too.”


	24. Looking at You, Looking Right Back

Chapter Twenty Four

Andry 

Andry wasn’t sure when it was decided that Zac would not be driving her back home that night. After spending hours in the pool, they got out, practically pickled in chlorine, and changed into clean clothes. Andry pilfered an old t-shirt from Zac’s dresser and shrugged to herself in the mirror when she realized all she had to wear on the bottom were her panties. She figured it wasn’t any different than a bathing suit. It was fine.

She joined Zac in his childhood bedroom, the tiny TV on his bookshelf already turned to Nick at Nite. He patted the bed next to him, ushering her over to him. 

“So I’m sleeping over?” Andry asked frankly.

“Sure, yeah.” 

“Unless you want to take me home.” 

“You’re already in your jammies.” 

“These are _your_ jammies, bud.” 

He grabbed her arm and yanked her down onto the bed with him, causing her to dissolve into giggles. They intertwined their limbs and watched _I Love Lucy_ until Andry’s head grew heavy on Zac’s shoulder. 

“You sleepy, buddy?” 

“Gettin’ there,” she mumbled, smiling up at him. The wine, paired with hours in the pool, was starting to take its toll. She suddenly felt exhausted. She latched onto him, and he returned the gesture, holding her close to his chest. She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of chlorine that still stuck to his skin. It all felt so right; their closeness, their slow breathing matching perfectly, the low buzz of the old TV lulling them both to sleep. 

“You can sleep in my bed,” he whispered in her ear, scooting them both towards the head of the bed so they could lay down next to each other. She opened her eyes and realized their faces were only inches apart. Suddenly she felt very awake. 

“What?” she asked, after a few moments of staring. 

“Nothing…” he said, even though he was very clearly thinking about something. Andry could barely stand it, being this close to him. Her whole body was buzzing; aching with a want she didn’t know existed. Their bodies were flush against each other, and yet she wanted to be closer. Yearned to be closer. 

“Hey, Zac?” She squeaked, even though she didn’t need to get his attention. His eyes hadn’t left hers. 

“Should we just…?” 

“Yeah.” 

Suddenly, his mouth was on hers. They kissed like two frenzied teenagers in heat, and Andry wondered if any amount of making out would ever be enough to quell the desire that had risen up inside of her so quickly. His hands found their way under the shirt she had borrowed, and he grabbed onto her hip bones, pulling her closer to him. She could feel his erection under his pajama pants, and it made the want grow even more. She didn’t know if she would be able to stop. 

She didn’t want to. 

She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips, still kissing him wildly. Her fingers tangled into his hair, and for one split second she was worried that she was coming on too strong, that she would scare him off with her enthusiasm. But in her moment of doubt, she came up for air, and he yanked her back down over top of him, signaling that he wanted it just as badly as she did. 

They tugged each other’s clothes off until they were skin on skin, the summer heat making beads of sweat spring up on their temples. Andry fought the urge to moan his name, scared that if she was too loud in any sense of the word, he would stop. 

He climbed on top of her, sliding himself inside of her and burying his face in her neck. 

“Wait, Zac…” she whispered breathlessly, hating herself for stopping him. 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you have…?”

He paused, catching his breath, then shook his head slowly. In any other circumstance, with any other person, Andry would have stopped what they were doing. She had allowed dates to screech to a stop with other guys, when they didn’t come prepared with condoms. But the yearning blinded her. 

“Should we stop?” He asked.

“No, I don’t care.” She grabbed his neck and pulled him down, while rolling her hips up towards him. He exhaled with pleasure, nearly growling. Andry couldn’t believe how good it felt, the tension breaking over her...years of wanting this without even knowing or putting it into words. It was nearly too much for her to bear. 

Apparently it was too much for Zac as well. 

“I’m gonna cum...” he panted, slowing his thrusts in an attempt to try and stretch out the moment. 

“What?”

“Yeah I’m gonna...oh fuck….I'm...” 

He pulled out suddenly and came on her stomach, the warm liquid leaving a trail up her body. She couldn’t believe how fast it had all happened. 

“Sorry um...sorry, I’ll get a towel.” 

Zac scurried into the bathroom across the hall. When he came back she was sitting up, shellshocked. He handed her the towel and she cleaned herself up while he got dressed. He glanced at her. 

“Did you…?” 

“Did I what?”

“Did you finish?” 

“Um…” Andry let out a sharp laugh, “When would that have happened, buddy?” 

He grimaced at the use of their pet name. 

“Well if you need to, you're welcome to like...finish up.” 

“Wh...what?” 

“Like if you want to finish yourself.” 

Andry stared at him in disbelief. He held out the t-shirt she had been wearing and suddenly she was hyper-aware of the fact that she was naked in front of her best friend. She snatched the t-shirt out of his hands and pushed past him to the bathroom. 

“No thanks, Zac, I’m good,” she snapped. 

She sat down on the toilet and let her head fall into her hands. 

_You can cry until you leave this bathroom,_ she told herself sternly, and she obeyed. When she stepped back into Zac’s room, her eyes were dry and he was snoring. 

She turned around, determined to find another bed to sleep in.


	25. Mistake of Dancing In My Storm

Chapter Twenty Five

Taylor 

“Whoa, Walden...you look like a zombie.”

“Gee, thanks Cory, you’re a peach.” 

Taylor looked up from the mixer where he was prepping dough. He had never heard Andry speak with such a biting, sarcastic tone. Usually she was annoyingly happy when she greeted the guys in the kitchen as she breezed into work, singing her good mornings. 

“Hey,” he said in her direction, hoping she would see him and maybe find the urge to smile. 

“Hey,” she muttered back, not meeting his eye. 

“What crawled up her butt?” Cory, the lunch busser on for the day, asked Taylor, clearly hoping to bond over the bitchy hostess that walked in without taking off her sunglasses. 

“Knock it off,” Taylor said, putting his head down and getting back to his prep work. 

He had been so excited to see Andry, he even got to work a little early. He imagined her going home the night before and listening to the records all evening, maybe painting as the sun went down, and falling asleep with the music swirling around her thoughts. He was so excited to give her the gift the day before, that he called out of his Wednesday gig and begged for his dinner shift back so he could be there when Andry clocked out. It didn’t take much convincing, and before he knew it, he was walking into Bella with the records under his arm. 

He felt so stupid now. 

She clearly didn’t care about them, or about him, and he couldn’t believe he wasted the time he could have been on stage performing on a girl who barely even looked at him. And now, he was stuck in this stupid kitchen for the rest of the day. 

He didn’t see Andry again until 4pm, when she clocked out and zoomed past him on her way to the parking lot. He was just taking off his apron and baseball cap, thankful to have half an hour to eat some food and cool down before coming back for the dinner shift. 

He wanted to call out to her, ask her if she liked the records, ask her what was wrong, ask her why she looked so angry. But he didn’t.

***

When Zac arrived back at the apartment, his house sitting stint over now that his parents were home, Taylor tried his best to seem happy to see his brother. It was more difficult than he cared to admit. He had gotten used to having the apartment to himself. They settled back into their routine, and Taylor expected to see Andry back on the couch watching TV as though she lived there too, but he never did. He did sometimes hear a girl’s voice coming out of Zac’s bedroom but as soon as she laughed, he knew it wasn’t Andry. Later that evening, Amelia left, awkwardly waving at Taylor as she sidled out of the apartment.

“I thought you broke up with her?” Taylor called into Zac’s open doorway from the kitchen table. 

“I did. But we’re back together.” 

“That was fast.” 

“Yeah.” 

And that was the extent of the conversation on the matter. Taylor didn’t particularly love to get wrapped up in his younger brother’s personal life. But, just as Zac was about to close his door, something clicked. 

“Is that why Andry looked so upset the other day?” 

“...What?” 

_So much for not getting involved._

“Yeah the other day when I worked lunch, Andry barely looked me in the eye and seemed really pissed off about something. I’ve honestly never seen her like that. Sad, sure, but never angry.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zac dismissed him, and began to shut his door again, but Taylor jumped up and stopped it from shutting all the way.

“What happened?” 

“Taylor, this is seriously none of your business.” 

“Andry is my friend, too.” 

“Yeah right,” he mumbled, turning around and busying himself with the stack of job applications he had accrued in the past few days. Now that housesitting was finished, everyone was pressuring him to get a real job. If Taylor didn’t feel a sting from Zac’s words, he would have even felt proud of him for starting the search. 

“Excuse me?”

“You barely even know her.” 

“ _Excuse me?_ ” 

“That’s not some shocking accusation, Taylor! She’s my best friend, not yours! This is not news, we’ve known this.” Zac's voice was starting to creep up in pitch an intensity, as though he had been caught in some heinous act, and he couldn't find a way out. 

“I’ve worked with her for three years and she’s _always_ at our apartment. Well...she used to be. And at our gigs, which never happen anymore, by the way…” 

“Yeah, I’m aware.” 

“I don’t think you know what _you’re_ talking about, Zachary. You have no idea…” he stopped himself from continuing. This was ridiculous. He and his younger brother were fighting over a girl that neither of them could even lay claim to. He was about to launch into some diatribe about the night he had taken care of her, slept in her bed, but it felt wrong to bring it up. A betrayal of all parties involved.

“What? I have no idea of what?” 

Taylor looked at Zac and sighed. “Will you just tell me if that’s what made her so angry?” 

“I can’t speak for Andry. Ask her yourself.” He sidled past Taylor and made his way to the front door. 

“Where are you going?!” 

“Out,” He shouted over his shoulder, slamming the door in his wake. 

Taylor immediately flew into a rage that he couldn’t control, but not at his brother and not at the girl in the middle of it all, but at himself. This was exactly why he had always been a lone wolf. The confusing feelings and the anger and the wondering...he hated it. It made him uneasy and upset and those were things he didn’t care to be. He would rather just keep to himself, go to work every day, and not feel his heart flutter or hope that the hostess would stop in the kitchen on her way out to say hi to him. 

He vowed to remove himself from this. Zac was right, it was none of his business. Whatever happened between them was between _them_...Taylor just happened to get caught in the crossfires the night that Andry happened to need a ride home from the bar. But this wasn’t his fight, his conflict, his story. He was a spectator, and that was all. 

He would let himself have the night to play his keyboard and sing until it all felt less muddled. Then in the morning, it would be done. He would be alone. Again.


	26. A Little Much For Me

Chapter Twenty Six

Andry 

It was all Andry could do to wake up in the morning and get dressed for work.

It had been a week since the night with Zac. She texted him incessantly, wondering where they stood. She was certain that the night they had spent together would change everything, and it had, just not in the way she was hoping. She thought maybe it would kickstart something between them, and finally their friendship would blossom into something more. But instead, Zac was ignoring her texts. 

She couldn't stop thinking that all of this - the gut wrenching hurt and the silence from Zac, would be so much more tolerable if it had been preceded by some cataclysmic fight. A fall out, a screaming match...something. But there had been nothing. She had a best friend one day, and the next day she didn’t. 

None of it made any sense. And that was the only thing she wanted...to find meaning or purpose in all of it. To make it make sense in some way... _any_ way. 

She went on autopilot for work every day, plastering a fake smile to her face and pretending to be a happy, helpful, hostess. Then when she got home she silently set up a canvas and painted through the tears streaming out of her eyes. Her brush strokes were angry and aggressive, the colors muddled and dissonant. She liked it that way. They made her feel better. She took pictures of her work and posted them on instagram with vague captions that only she knew the meaning behind. Well, Zac probably did too. Which is why he took no time in blocking her.

The morning after they had sex, Andry woke up confused and headachey. Grey morning light was leaking into the bedroom, and it took her a few minutes to figure out where exactly she was. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, the night before crashing over her as she realized that she was in Avery’s bedroom. Her stomach dropped when she remembered everything that had transpired - the spaghetti, the pool, the cuddling. She let her head drop into her hands. He hair reaked of chlorine, and the smell made her stomach turn. 

“Zac…” she whispered after making her way back to his room and seeing he was still fast asleep. “Zac, wake up.” 

“What…” Zac grumbled and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow to block out the morning light. 

“You have to take me home so I can get ready for work.” 

“It’s so eeeeeearly,” he groaned, twisting back around and peeking at her through one droopy eyelid. 

“I know but I have to get home and shower and change and then go to work. Get up.” 

Andry didn’t like ordering him around. In a perfect world, they would still be sleeping in the same bed, spooning as the sun came up. She would call into work and they would spend the day cuddling and eating popsicles and watching TV until the sun went back down. But that golden tinted daydream was a bit too far from the truth to ever come to fruition, and Andry wasn’t exactly wanting to spend any more time with the boy who grimaced at the thought of helping her finish the night before. 

“Come _on_ ,” she urged, and he got up reluctantly. 

They drove in silence back to her apartment. She turned on the radio just to drown out the quiet. 

She hadn’t heard from him since. 

She texted him multiple times a day and hated herself every time she pressed send. She felt so desperate and annoying and lonely and she _hated_ herself for it. She hated every second of it. At this point, she didn’t care that he clearly did not want to be with her. All she cared about was that she missed her best friend. She missed her comrade, her partner in crime, the one she could laugh and be silly with. It wasn’t fair. 

None of this was fair. 

“Hey, Andry?” 

She jolted out of her daily shame spiral, and focused in on Callie. 

“Yeah?”

“It’s 4:15, you can go.” 

“Oh...right...sorry.” 

“Are you okay, babe?” Callie asked, looking legitimately concerned on behalf of her lunchtime counterpart. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just zoning out. Have a good shift.” 

Her mind constantly rocked back and forth between complete obsessiveness and utter exhaustion. She was not proud to admit that she had thought about going to places that Zac frequented, hoping to run into him on “accident”. She cursed the fact that Amelia rarely posted on social media, making it extremely difficult to keep tabs. She had seen, however, that they were back together, which sent her into a spiral which led to her looking at photos of Amelia from nearly a decade before on Facebook. 

It had only been a _week_ , and they were back together. 

She wondered how it had happened. She wondered if Zac had even broken up with her at all, or if this had all been some master plan to get her in bed without having to break up with his girlfriend. She thought she knew Zac better than anyone, but now...she wasn’t so sure. 

She wasn’t proud of her reckless and unhinged behavior. She wished she could erase the memories of all of her coworkers after she had vented to almost every single person on the floor. She told the story again and again, and they were always appalled and ready to stick up for her. 

“I’ll throw him out if he ever tries to come in here to eat,” Tony muttered to her after overhearing the tail end of the story. 

“You don’t have to do that,” she said, laughing weakly, grateful for the over-protectiveness of her manager. “He’s Taylor’s brother, you can’t tell him he can’t eat here.” 

“Watch me,” Tony said with a shrug and turned to go back to the kitchen. “He shouldn’t even be passing the restaurant, as far as I’m concerned,” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the rear dining room. 

Once she had gathered her backpack out of the server closet, she zoomed out of the restaurant as fast as she could. She tried her very best to avoid all eye contact with Taylor, who had just clocked in and was tying his apron into place. She was sure someone was filling him in nightly; some server who picked up a double must be sharing all of her crazy venting with the kitchen crew. She hoped to be far away from the restaurant when the story finally reached his ears.


	27. I'll Never Get To Hold Your Hand

Chapter Twenty Seven

Taylor 

Everything seemed to be broken, and Taylor couldn't stop blaming himself for all of it.

He had hardly spoken to Zac since their argument. The air in the apartment remained stagnant and tense, and he tried his best to never be home. He hated that he even had to do that, because it was his place too, but he supposed it was good to be out. The baristas at the coffee shop between his place and Bella Cucina now knew his name, order, and what kind of muffin he preferred. He would bring a notebook and sit there for hours, at a table outside, scrawling lyrics and crossing them out. He drained coffee cups and buzzed as he made his way to work every afternoon. He was never quite sure if he wanted to run into Andry on his way in, or if he wanted to avoid her altogether. Sometimes he would catch her opening the front door of the restaurant for guests, saying “Hi! Welcome! How many today?” in a bright and sunshiney voice. But as the door closed, he could see through the cracks of her customer service mask. 

Every single night he had to stop himself from nagging Zac into getting a job. He knew that eventually his brother would run out of money and then they would both be screwed - Zac because he couldn’t pay his portion of rent and would have to move back home with his parents, and Taylor because he couldn’t pay for the apartment completely on his own on his pizza chef paycheck. 

The only light in his very dark tunnel of a life was his weekly Wednesday night gig at the Hideaway. For those few hours, he could forget everything else, and play. 

There were two things that could make that light grow brighter, as much as he hated to admit them both. One was inviting his brothers to play with him, finally securing a set for the band that used to bring them all so much joy. The other was Andry being in the audience. 

When he imagined those events coming to pass, he caught a glimpse of some semblance of normalcy in his mind’s eye; of getting everything back to how it was before. The three of them onstage and Andry in the audience. He knew he had sworn to remove himself from the whole mess, but he was so desperate to get back to when everything was okay. And maybe...maybe he could come out of this all as the bigger person. The guy who repaired his brother’s broken friendship. The guy who got the band back together. The guy who was the hero. 

The plan was just simple enough to work.

He knew that somewhere deep inside, guilt was fueling his desire to right all the wrongs. He hated to admit it, and never would to anyone but himself, but he felt guilty for swooping in on Zac’s vulnerable best friend when she was hurting. There were other girls in the world, in this city, at his restaurant. He could find someone else to recommend music to, and he felt like he had broken some unspoken rule by making that girl Andry for a few weeks. 

“Would you ever want to come drum with me some time?” He asked Zac tentatively when he got back from work one night. 

“I’m allowed to do that?” his brother retorted, his eyes glued to the TV. 

“Yeah of course you are. I could even ask Isaac...could be a nice change from just me up there. We haven’t played together in a while.” 

Zac chuckled and nodded. Taylor rolled his eyes. 

“Just forget it, Zac.” 

“No...no I’m sorry,” Zac finally turned his eyes from the screen and looked at Taylor. “Sorry. I...yeah we could do that. You should ask Ike.” 

Taylor sighed, visibly annoyed, but he wanted to play with the band again more than he wanted to throttle his brother. So the next day he texted Ike, and suddenly the band had a gig in a few days. 

Everything was falling into place. Maybe...just maybe...he could fix everything.

***

“Hey,” Taylor said nervously, as he walked up to the host stand to clock in on Andry’s POS station.

Andry’s eyes grew wide. She clearly wasn’t expecting Taylor to use her station, even though it was a common occurrence at shift change to see back of house workers up front for a few moments before they disappeared into the kitchen. Usually it was kitchen guys attempting to flirt with cute servers and hosts, but Taylor was on a different kind of misison.

“Um, hey Taylor,” she mumbled, turning her attention back to the doodles she was drawing underneath the seating chart. 

“Callie isn’t here yet?” He asked, trying to start some conversation before he dove into the deep end and invited her to the gig he was playing with his brothers. He had been thinking about it since Zac and Isaac agreed to play with him. He knew it was risky, especially given that he was doing it without telling his younger brother, but he wanted Andry to be there. He knew how much she loved the band, and how much she missed going to their shows. She had been at every single one since she and Zac had become friends, and it felt wrong to not even tell her that one was going to be happening just blocks away from the restaurant. 

“No, I haven’t seen her,” she responded. 

She wasn’t being warm and friendly with him, but she wasn’t exactly being cold and distant either. There was something else coloring her words and movements, and as she timidly tucked a blonde curl behind her ear, Taylor realized what it was. 

Pure embarrassment. 

He was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to wrap her in his arms, and tell her that there was nothing she needed to be ashamed of. Whatever had happened was in the past. The recent past, sure, but it was still behind her. He didn’t care. He had never cared. 

But he knew he couldn’t do that. Not yet anyway. Everything was too fresh. It was as if Andry was attempting to hide an open gash down the front of her body. She was exposed and humiliated, and he hated seeing her like that. 

“So...I wanted to tell you something,” he started cautiously. He didn’t want to freak her out, and spoke in the calmest tone he could muster. 

She looked up at him inquisitively. 

“Um...so you know my Wednesday gigs I play?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I’m playing this week and um...my brothers are going to be up there with me. They agreed to come play with me so like...the band will be playing. And I know how much you miss the band and miss being around for practices and gigs and...we all miss having you there. And I was thinking, like, if you’re not busy, you could come.” 

Andry’s eyes squinted, as if she was attempting to silence a yelp bubbling up from her throat. The kind of sound you make when you’ve been kicked in the stomach. 

“The band is playing?” she asked, meekly. 

“Yeah.” Taylor resisted the urge to say _that’s exactly what I just said._

She looked him straight in the eye. He was terrified of what was coming next. Suddenly, his heart rate quickened, and he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Of course she wouldn’t want to go see him play, not with Zac beside him on the drums. He braced himself for her response, which he was sure would be pointed and severe. 

“That’s great that you’re playing together again,” she said, and she sounded as if she really meant it. There was deep regret in her eyes as she said “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it though. I’m sorry, Tay.” 

He let out a sigh, realizing that he had been holding his breath in anticipation. 

“Oh...no, that’s okay! I just wanted to let you know.” 

“I really appreciate it.” 

He knew that was the end of the discussion, and that they both desperately wanted out of this awkward conversation as soon as possible. And yet...there was something nagging at him that he wanted so deeply to fix. All of this had been his grand plan to _fix_ whatever it was that was broken, that _thing_ that had inadvertently tilted their entire world off of its axis. 

Just then, Callie came prancing up to the host stand, looking between him and Andry with an excited expression. 

“Heeeeeey guuuuuys,” Callie practically sang, shimmying her way between them to clock in. “What’s new?” 

“Well...I gotta get back to the kitchen,” Taylor said, smiling politely at the night hostess and reaching out to Andry without thinking. He squeezed her arm, and she placed her hand on top of his, returning the gesture. 

“See ya, Tay,” she said, turning away and clocking out for the afternoon.


End file.
